Chelsea vs Bayern: Rematch of the 2012 UCL final in the 2020 round of 16
Chelsea and Bayern Munich will renew acquaintances as the two sides lock horns in the round of 16 in the Champions League.
For those who are keen students of football history, this clash will seem quite familiar. Back in 2012, Chelsea and Bayern locked horns in the Champions League final, which went to overtime and penalties – and the Blues won on Bayern’s turf. To date, that remains Chelsea’s only Champions League win, and gives Chelsea fans bragging rights as the only London club to win a Champions League title. For Bayern supporters, it still remains a sore point that they lost the title on home turf, two years after failing to win it in Madrid against Inter. Yes, they’d go on to win it in 2013 in an all-German affair at Wembley, but the fact that they lost in 2012 will surely still upset Bayern fans because they could have won it in Munich.
In any case, it’s now eight years later, and Chelsea and Bayern will meet once again. A few players from Bayern are still with the squad from 2012, including Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller. Frank Lampard, ironically, will be not on the pitch as he was back in 2012, but now on the tactician’s bench. Eight years ago, he was the team’s skipper, guiding his teammates to victory and now all eyes will be on him to see whether he will be able to inspire his young charges – many of whom where still in primary school back then – to victory against a Bavarian juggernaut led by the likes of Robert Lewandowski as they seek to book their spot in the quarter-finals and beyond.
Chelsea are the underdogs, here, yes. But Bayern’s record in the Champions League hasn’t exactly been impressive, either. They haven’t made it to the finals since 2013, which is not good reading for a side with the resources and players at their disposal. Pep Guardiola was brought into to achieve that and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t make it happen. In short, the Bavarian titans have been serial underachievers, always winning the league in a one horse race but coming up short in Europe.
The Blues have done well at home against German opposition, where they have not lost in their last nine fixtures, with wins in six of those. Save for their shock loss to Valencia on matchday one, they are unbeaten in their last 13 overall European home meetings at Stamford Bridge. Bayern are unbeaten in their last 12 on the road, but that’s hardly unsurprising – they are a well-oiled outfit. Still, they were dumped out early by Liverpool in the round of 16 last term after drawing the first leg at home and were humiliated in a 3-1 loss at Anfield.
Could Chelsea beat them? Possibly. Yes, they did put ten goals past Tottenham, but that’s the Bayern way. Once they find a weakness, they will crush their opponents. What would be key for the Blues is not to be intimidated by the presence of the German giants, who have had their ups and downs this term. They are back on top of the Bundesliga, but that’s exactly where predictably belong, with everyone else expected to try to challenge them. No one expects Bayern to be looking up at the other sides playing catch up.
Chelsea recently got back to winning ways this past weekend by beating Tottenham to ensure they still maintain their grip on a top four spot, and it was the result Lampard needed from his young troops ahead of this tough clash. He will be missing N’Golo Kante, which is a huge blow in the middle of the park as the Frenchman’s tenacity is the kind of player that will be needed against a tough foe like Bayern. American star Christian Pulisic, who seemed to be finally finding his footing after a difficult period, is also unfortunately still on the treatment table so won’t be available for this fixture.
Lampard really has done quite well with this young side, a team that people had little to no expectations of at the start of the season, but certainly he will want to get one over on Bayern for his own bragging rights. Taking down a team who are desperate to really prove that they still should be included in the same conversation as Champions League contenders would be a huge feather in his cap, and given that the onus is not on the Blues, they just may be able to do just that. All pressure really is on Hansi Flick and Bayern for this two-legged affair. Bayern cruised through their group stages, becoming the first German side to win all six games and only the seventh to do so. Stars like Lewandowski are growing frustrated with the lack of European success that continues to elude the club every season, and will feel that time is running out for them to make their mark.
Will this young, hungry Chelsea side be able to find the weakness in the Bavarian titans’ armor and march on to the quarter-finals?
