UEFA Champions League: Lazio vs Bayern Munich Live
Preview
The Stadio Olimpico will host the Lazio vs Bayern Munich match on Wednesday night, marking the start of the Champions League knockout rounds. Lazio is hoping to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 24 years, while Bayern Munich has reached that stage for the past three years and is aiming for a seventh European title.
Despite facing challenges in their domestic league, Lazio has managed to advance to the knockout stage of the Champions League after a turbulent journey through the group phase. Despite their struggles in Serie A, where they currently sit in eighth place, Lazio has shown inconsistency in their performances. They recently broke a three-game winless streak with a victory over Cagliari but are still five points behind the top four teams. The team faced setbacks earlier in the season, including a loss in the Supercoppa Italiana to Inter Milan, which led to concerns about the head coach’s job security.
Lazio relied heavily on home games to progress through Group E in the Champions League, finishing second to Atletico Madrid. Their standout moment was goalkeeper Ivan Provedel’s unlikely late equalizer against Atletico, securing Lazio’s third appearance in the Champions League knockout stage. In their previous two appearances, Lazio was eliminated by Valencia in 2000 and Bayern Munich in 2021.
Bayern Munich has an impressive record in the Champions League against Italian teams, having won 11 out of their last 12 last-16 ties. They topped Group A comfortably and are now aiming to reach the later stages of the tournament. Thomas Tuchel, their coach, has had success with previous teams like Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, but Bayern’s recent performance in the Bundesliga has been disappointing. Despite their strong attacking lineup led by Harry Kane, they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. With exits from the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup, Bayern is under pressure to secure silverware this season.
Head-to-head
Three seasons ago, Bayern Munich and the other team faced off in the UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich comfortably progressed by winning both home and away matches, scoring a total of six goals.
Prediction
While Bayern Munich may not be performing at their peak, they have demonstrated their strength in away games across Europe and have a diverse offensive strategy. Lazio, on the other hand, have shown weaknesses recently and are unlikely to be able to defend against Bayern for the entire 90 minutes. It would likely take a significant upset for Maurizio Sarri’s team to come out on top in the upcoming second leg match.
