What: Champions League Quarter-final (first leg)
Who: Bayern Munich vs Juventus
When: Tuesday 2nd April, 2013, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Relentless Run Shows No Sign of Slowing
As the Champions League draw was made in Nyon last month, this clash emerged as the tie of the round. Five of the last eight are considered by most to be genuine contenders to lift the crown, yet this is the only meeting that pitches one of those sides against another.
Bayern Munich will probably start as marginal favourites, particularly as they come into this game in rampant form after a 9-2 win over Hamburg in the Bundesliga. What was most ominous about the hammering was the fact that Bayern Munich rested a number of key players yet still managed to smash nine goals past their opponents. Ironically, they were prevented from clinching the title on Saturday by Robert Lewandowski, who may well be joining them this summer, after he netted the winner for reigning champions Borussia Dortmund against Stuttgart. The title is an inevitability though and ensures coach Jupp Heynckes will exit this summer on a high, as well as giving Bayern Munich the room to focus on the cups.
Having lost in the final of the Champions League in two of the last three seasons, the club’s players will not lack motivation to add to their domestic triumph. Yet they almost suffered one of the biggest reversals in fortune in the history of the tournament last time around, when they almost threw away a 3-1 lead from the away leg against Arsenal, who beat them 2-0 in the Allianz Arena. That result will give their opponents cause for optimism and is a reminder for Bayern Munich that they can take nothing for granted.
Positive Omens For Juventus
Juventus come into this game on the back of an impressive 2-1 win at Inter in Serie A, a victory that keeps the Bianconeri on course for a second successive Scudetto. Nine points clear of second-placed Napoli, like Bayern Munich, the Italian giants can afford to pay more attention to the Champions League. Coach Antonio Conte will have special motivation for the tie too: It was Jupp Heynckes and his Real Madrid team who beat the Juventus side he captained in the final in 1998, ending their reign as European champions.
Italian teams have a fantastic record against Germans in international football; they are often the scourge of the Teutonic nation. And Juventus have won all five European quarter-finals they have played against German opposition, while Bayern Munich have lost more than they have won against Italian sides on the continent. Juventus also have the upper hand in this club rivalry, with three wins out of six meetings between these teams in the Champions League, with the Bavarians winning two. It is perhaps surprising for two giants of the sport that these sides have met just six times before.
The last meeting between the duo in 2009 finished 4-1 to Bayern Munich in Turin, but there is unlikely to be a repeat of that mauling this week. Juventus are a fiercely drilled side with possibly the best defence in Europe – Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. The Italians have not lost away in Europe since another 4-1 defeat, at Fulham in 2010.
Recent form
Bayern Munich:
Bayern Munich 0-2 Arsenal (13/02; Champions League)
Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Bayern Munich (16/03; Bundesliga)
Bayern Munich 9-2 Hamburg (30/03; Bundesliga)
Juventus:
Juventus 1-0 Siena (10/03; Serie A)
Bologna 0-2 Juventus (16/03; Serie A)
Inter 1-2 Juventus (30/03; Serie A)
Key absences
Bayern Munich: Toni Kroos (doubt); Javi Martinez; Holger Badstuber
Juventus: Mauricio Isla (doubt); Mirko Vucinic (doubt); Martin Caceres
Players to watch
Bayern Munich – Thomas Muller: Muller is a fantastically hard working player, but also supremely gifted. There was a wonderful moment in the game against Arsenal which summed up his brilliance. As he was about to track back, Bayern Munich won the ball back and it came in his direction with Arjen Robben overlapping. As the ball came to him, quick as a flash, Muller played a through-ball to the Dutchman with the back of his heel. It is that wonderful improvisation and intelligence which marks out Muller as such a great player, and it is that link play and intelligent appreciation of space which will pose the biggest threat to the Juventus defence.
Juventus – Arturo Vidal: Vidal played under Heynckes at Bayer Leverkusen and will have a better idea than most in his team of what to expect from their German opponents. The Chilean is a feisty but impressive presence in midfield, contributing much to both the defensive and attacking play. In that sense, he is a perfect foil for Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio, able to interchange roles with either easily. His energy and dominating presence, as well as an eye for goal, could be key to winning the midfield battle, and possibly with it, the tie.
Match Prediction
There is so much intrigue ahead of this unpredictable clash. These are almost certainly the best two defences in Europe, and two teams who may be able to play with style, but are ruthlessly efficient too. Juventus went through Serie A unbeaten last year and there is very little vulnerability about them. The same can be said of this frighteningly efficient Bayern Munich side.
Perhaps most interesting thing is that so many of the players likely to feature played in the European Championship semi-final between Italy and Germany last year. Six Juventus players featured that night for Italy and eight from Bayern participated in the game. With both sides providing much of the identity of their respective national sides, particularly Juventus, something should be read into that. Italy’s win then was based on solid defence but intelligent and fast counter attacking.
Juventus’ 3-5-2 formation poses an interesting tactical problem for a 4-2-3-1 that Bayern Munich use. It is a very effective defensive system, which the Germans will struggle to break down, but when they counter attack the Bianconeri can do so very quickly with quick passes from deep from Andrea Pirlo. Claudio Marchisio and Vidal are full of energy and will battle for supremacy in midfield against Bastian Schweinsteiger and Luis Gustavo. This game features not just Europe’s best two defences, but arguably two of its best three midfields (along with Barcelona), as well. Expect an extremely tight game in which any mistake could be costly. And somehow, it feels more likely that such an error could come from the home side than the visitors. Bayern Munich 0-1 Juventus.
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