The first two games of the second legs for the round of 16 of this year’s Champions League are being held today (04/02) at 22:00.
The most interesting, at least on a theoretical level, of these is expected in Munich. Where Bayern is called upon to overturn Lazio’s 1-0 first-leg deficit at the Olimpico, in order to qualify and stay… alive in the hunt for a title.
The Bavarians are -10 behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, while they have been eliminated from the German Cup and lost the domestic Super Cup. To these, add the fact that Thomas Tuchel – who will leave their bench at the end of the season – is said to be… playing with his head, since in the event of a disqualification he will be fired before his time!
The encouraging thing for Bayern is that Leroy Sane will be available again, while Serge Gnabry is likely to return, staying on the bench for the first time. On the contrary, the suspended Dagio Upamekanos is not counted.
Lazio, on the other hand, are not going through their best phase, as they count two consecutive defeats in Serie A, by Fiorentina and Milan, as a result of which they are in ninth place and -6 from the sixth privileged position that leads to Europe …
Maurizio Sarri, who is called upon to get a result in Germany, does not have to deal with significant absences, having lost 2-1 last year at the same stadium for the same phase of the competition.
Possible lineups:
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Leimer, Dier, De Ligt, Davies, Pavlovic, Goretzka, Sane, Miller, Musiala, Kane.
Lazio: Provendel, Marusic, Hilla, Romagnoli, Hisay, Guduzzi, Vesino, Alberto, Anderson, Immobile, Jacani.
A game with a clear favorite is the one between Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain, with the two teams competing at “Anoeta”, after 2-0 in the first leg in France.
The Basques have four defeats in their last five games in La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League, while they need to win by three goals to pull off the big surprise and throw their current opponent out of contention.
Their big “weapon” in this effort is expected to be their crowd again, which will suffocately fill the stadium, while we must not forget that their best performances this year have been in the world’s leading inter-club football competition, with whatever that entails…
The champions, on the other hand, are coming off the back of two close draws in Ligue 1. However, they have the necessary experience to handle the pressure and reach the desired result that will see them reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time this season 2020-21.
Possible lineups:
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Galan, Thumbeldia, Le Norman, Traire, Merino, Thubimenti, Mendes, Oyarthambal, Andre Silva, Kumbo.
Paris Saint Germain: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Hernandez, Zaire-Emery, Vitinia, Fabian Ruith, Dembele, Mbappe, Barcola.
Source: Sport Fm
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