Shakhtar Donetsk is primed and ready to pull off one of the biggest upsets in UEFA Champions League history. All that stands between them and immortality is the greatest soccer team in all of Germany, Bayern Munich. The two teams meet in Munich on Wednesday in the knockout round of the Champions League.
Bayern Munich comes into the match with tremendous pressure on them. The German giants were unable to score any away goals in the first leg as they tied Shakhtar 0-0. The result could not be any better for the Ukrainian champions that now can draw or win in Germany to upset one of the world’s best teams.
Bayern needs to hold home court in order to advance and walk a fine line throughout the match. The Bundesliga champions know that Shakhatar will more than likely load up the back and play for the tie, the last thing that Bayern wants is a draw and for the Champions League quarterfinals to come down to penalty kicks. However, if they are too aggressive on offense seeking a goal, they expose themselves to a counter-attack by Shakhtar that could be devastating.
Bayern Munich manager, Pep Guardiola, was asked on Monday if his team was practicing penalty kicks and he blatantly shot down any idea of the match going to PKs.
“No. Scoring goals is more important to us,” he said. “The game is like a basketball playoff, the two teams know each other. In the end, the quality of players is the difference. It’s simple, we just have to win the game.”
Bayern star, Franck Ribery will be at the forefront of the German attack and knows that his team’s success weighs heavily on his shoulders.
“We have to win tomorrow, this is very important,” he said matter of factly. “Shakhtar have forwards with quality and we have to be aware of this. They are good at counterattacking, so we have to avoid this. It’s very important for us to go to progress to the quarterfinals. Shakhtar are a good team, we know this. But, we are even better. Of course, our will and aim is to win the game and go through.”
Making matters worse for Bayern Munich, Xabi Alonso and Philipp Lahm are expected to miss the match.
Prediction: 2-0 Bayern Munich
The match is scheduled for Wednesday March 11th at 3:45 EST from Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. It will air live on Fox Sports 2 and can be live streamed online here. If you prefer to watch the game on your phone, you can download the Fox Sports Go app.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
