Bayern Munich vs Chelsea
After clinching another domestic double, Bayern Munich now set their sights on completing the treble as they resume their Champions League campaign against Chelsea.
The German giants have a commanding 3-0 lead after a dominant first-leg win in London, and the Champions League 2020 odds have them as massive favourites to move on to the quarter-finals.
Not only must Chelsea overcome one of the form sides in all of Europe, but they must do so without some key personnel at the Allianz Arena.
Talking Points
Bayern looking unbeatable
Bayern Munich are back in action after a well-deserved month-long break following the end of their domestic season. The Bavarians were simply brilliant during the Bundesliga restart as they won every single match en route to their eighth straight league title.
Bayern have been virtually unstoppable since the start of 2020. They have won an incredible 21 out of 22 competitive matches this calendar year, and have won the last 17 in a row.
That includes their comprehensive 3-0 win over Chelsea in the first leg. Serge Gnabry bagged a brace while Robert Lewandowski, who set up both of Gnabry’s goals, added a third.
Gnabry didn’t score many goals after the restart, but he got one in their 4-2 DFB-Pokal Final win over Bayer Leverkusen and also scored the only goal in their friendly win over Marseille last week.
Meanwhile, Lewandowski has been outstanding all season long with 52 goals, but he’s been especially brilliant making Champions League 2020 highlights. He has scored in all six appearances this season in the Champions League and has 11 goals in total, which leads the competition.
Bayern boss Hansi Flick will have almost no concerns when it comes to squad selection. Right-back Benjamin Pavard is ruled out, but Bayern have enough options to overcome his absence.
Chelsea dealing with injury crisis
Chelsea will be back in the Champions League next season after clinching fourth place in the Premier League. But their participation past the round-of-16 second leg against Bayern Munich is very much in doubt.
Not only do they have a 3-0 deficit to overcome away from home, but they must do so with a rash of major injuries and absentees. Frank Lampard’s side suffered some significant injury casualties in their 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal the previous weekend.
Christian Pulisic, who opened the scoring against Arsenal after just five minutes, and Cesar Azpilicueta both picked up hamstring injuries which have ruled them out against Bayern. Veteran forward Pedro also picked up a knock and will be unavailable as well.
Meanwhile, both Marcos Alonso — who was sent off in the first leg — and Jorginho are suspended, while star midfielder N’Golo Kante is an injury doubt.
Pulisic’s absence will be a major blow to Chelsea’s attack. The young American was one of the team’s standout performers post-restart as he had five goals and two assists in 12 appearances.
But even with Pulisic, Chelsea’s leaky defence would still struggle to keep a clean sheet against a Bayern side that’s been scoring goals for fun this season.
History
Bayern and Chelsea have met five previous times in European competition. Bayern have the 2-1 edge in wins, while they’ve drawn on two occasions.
The two sides famously met in the 2012 Champions League final, which Chelsea went on to win on penalties.
Chelsea had advanced in their quarter-final meeting in the 2004-05 season, going through 6-5 on aggregate.
Bayern have a fine record in the round of 16, with 11 wins and four defeats. Although, they’ve lost three of their last five home matches in the Champions League knockout stage.
Bayern have lost only one of their 25 UEFA ties in which they won the away first leg, going out to Internazionale in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Betting Tip
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Bayern Munich vs Chelsea | Bayern Munich Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 2.07 |
| August 9, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOBET odds have Bayern priced at 1.36, the biggest favourites among the final four second-leg matches. On the other end, Chelsea are the biggest underdogs at 7.00, with a draw at 5.20.
Clearly, Bayern don’t have much to play for in this match. They can decide not to take this match too seriously and still go through by a comfortable margin.
But Hansi Flick will want to get Bayern back up to speed after their lengthy break, so expect the home side to show no mercy against a shorthanded Chelsea side.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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