In recent years, the Munich superclub has been considered a stable contender for victory in the Champions League, and in German football the Reds often act as the undisputed hegemon, which can only occasionally be challenged by one or another opponent. But this season, Bayern is terribly feverish, and, having ended up in the 1/8 of the Champions League against not the strongest opponent, it was unpleasantly surprised in the first round of the confrontation, suffering an away defeat with a minimal score.
However, it is precisely this situation that makes this couple especially interesting. Bayern, remaining on the short list of favorites for the Champions League title, must pass Lazio, but given the February misfire, this task becomes more difficult. We are adding the return match between the Germans and Italians to the calendar of sporting events that you should never miss, and if you also want to place a bet, go to betting websites.
Bayern’s path to the 1/8 finals of the Champions League
The Bavarians won the last edition of the Bundesliga only thanks to a better goal difference, but this was enough to get into the Champions League without qualifying. Group A looked like a gift – a completely unimpressive Manchester United of late, plus dark horses in the form of Copenhagen and Galatasaray.
As a result, the group was filled with surprises – for example, Manchester United turned out to be the main outsider, and Bayern, with such and such opponents, was unable to achieve a 100% points result. Perhaps she just didn’t see the point – the only misfire in the form of a goalless draw happened in the fifth round, when the guests from Denmark saved face at the Allianz Arena. By that time, the Reds had already guaranteed themselves first place and could relax.
The final figure is 16 points, which is exactly twice as much as that of Copenhagen, which finished second. The goal difference of 12:6 is both pleasing and alarming: on the one hand, they scored consistently (on average two per match), on the other – how can you concede so many goals against such opponents. But winning the group promised a relatively easy draw for the 1/8 Champions League, and Lazio looked like that before the first match.
Lazio’s path to the 1/8 finals of the Champions League
Unlike Bayern, Lazio is not such a frequent visitor to the Champions League, because the Romans are not considered an obvious Italian giant, and are not even the undisputed best team in their hometown. But the 22/23 season turned out to be successful for them – falling behind champion Napoli by as much as 16 points, the Eagles won silver, and with it a direct ticket to the Champions League.
Quartet E, where the Italians were assigned, did not look impenetrable: there was a serious competitor in the form of Atletico Madrid, but Feyenoord and Celtic hardly make it to the Champions League more often than Lazio itself, and look like, to put it mildly, random guests there. The Romans even managed to score one point against Madrid – they played 1:1 at home in the first round, although in the sixth they suffered an away defeat 0:2. The problems that the Eagles faced in the first series of the “Sparky” in the Netherlands looked much more sensational – there they unexpectedly lost 1:3, and at home they were able to recover only partially – 1:0. As for the Scots, they didn’t surprise the Serie A team with anything special.
The result is 10 points and a confident second place in the group. In such cases, the winner of the other quartet is supposed to be drawn by lot, and although there were many unexpected (and rather modest) participants in this draw, Lazio was unlucky – they immediately came across Bayern, wounded, but still formidable.
Odds for the match Bayern – Lazio
Bayern’s illness was very clearly manifested in the German Cup – on November 1, the super club in the 1/16 of this tournament failed to defeat the humble Saarbrücken from the third (!) League, which, in fairness, still has not been relegated and has already reached the quarterfinals. In the Bundesliga, where the Bavarians usually have no problems, they are now second, but after a crushing 0:3 defeat in February against the leading Bayer Leverkusen, the prospects of becoming champions seem vague.
Lazio, after the outbreak of last season, returned to its typical position in Serie A: the club is only fighting to get into the European Cup zone (at least in the LC!), and success is by no means guaranteed. The Italian Cup seems to be a more reliable way to get into European competition: the semi-finals have already been reached, and although the opponents are Juventus, after Roma’s successful run they are unlikely to be much afraid of it. The dilemma looks very simple: Should the Romans believe in the continuation of the fairy tale in the Champions League and throw all their strength into the return match for the sake of the still not guaranteed quarter-finals, or cling with all their might to their native championship, where the situation is pre-fire.
Bookmakers, with all the lameness of the current Bayern, believe that they will be a clear favorite at home:
- 1.33 per home win – as in matches between the leader and the league outsider;
- 5.6 for a draw;
- 8.8 that Lazio will shock Bayern in the return match.
In such situations, we must not forget about the main thing: after the first match, Lazio is quite happy with an away draw, and for Bayern, even a victory, if it is minimal, does not guarantee passage to the quarterfinals. This means that the return game will be very hot and should not be missed under any circumstances.