It is not one of the star knockout rounds of the Champions League round of 16, but the 1-1 recorded at the Red Bull Arena in the first leg forces Bayern Munich to clear up tonight once and for all the doubts it generates his game in recent weeks to eliminate a Salzburg that three weeks ago clearly surpassed him in the first half and caressed the victory until Kingsley Coman equalized in the 90th minute.
Salzburg, without pressure
“The pressure is from Bayern, for them the victory is a must, for us it is a plus”, assured yesterday Matthias Jaissle, the German coach of a Salzburg team who does not rule out giving the bell led by another German, Karim Adeyemi, the striker who in The first leg showed the qualities that have made him, at 20 years old, one of the most coveted young talents in Europe for his speed, dribbling quality and verticality.
Müller, held responsible
At Bayern they are aware of the importance of the game since, after the rule of double the value of goals in the opposite field in the event of a tie was abolished, the 0-0 is not worth it. “If we win, the season can be very nice. If we get knocked out, it won’t be a rosy season,” admitted Thomas Müller.
The Bavarians continue to lead the Bundesliga but since the start of 2022 they have suffered two defeats (1-2 against Borussia M’gladbach and 4-2 on their visit to the promoted Bochum) and on Saturday they lost a 1-1 at the Allianz Arena against Bayer Leverkusen, third classified.
Lewandowski and Neuer, who reappears
Bayern trusts Robert Lewandowski’s goals, despite the fact that he has gone two days without scoring in the Bundesliga, and in the psychological effect that the reappearance of their goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer, who underwent surgery at the age of 35 in the Bundesliga, may have on both teams. right knee just a month ago. Without him, absent in the first leg, the Bochum debacle occurred. Sven Ulreich will return to the bench, while Julian Nagelsmann is still without Leon Goretzka, Alphonso Davies and Corentin Tolisso.
Salzburg, the outstanding leader of their league, dreams of being the first Austrian team to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League, but they have a significant handicap since their preparation has not been optimal after the Covid-19 outbreak that affected two weeks ago 15 members of its squad and coaching staff.
Likely lineups
Stadium: Allianz Arena in Munich
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Pavard, Süle, Upamecano, Lucas Hernández; Kimmich, Musiala; Leroy Sané, Thomas Müller, Coman; Lewandowski
Entrenador: Julian Nagelsmann
Salzburg: Kohn; Kristensen, Piatkowski, Wober, Ulmer; Mohammed Camara; Sucic, Aaronson, Seiwald; Adamu and Adeyemi
Coach: Matthias Jaissle
Referee: Clément Turpin (France) / VAR: Jérôme Brisard (France)