Lazio vs Bayern Munich: Can Bayern recover after big blow?
Bayern Munich will be looking to regain their footing when they travel to face Lazio in the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday. Die Roten were dealt a huge setback in the race for the Bundesliga title as they were thrashed 3-0 by Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend. Nonetheless, the German giants are still the heavy favorites to progress from this two legged tie. Bayern are featuring in their 16th consecutive appearance in the UCL knockout rounds, and are unbeaten in their last 12 meetings with Italian teams.
In addition, die Roten have prevailed in 11 out of their last 12 round of 16 match-ups, with the only blemish being an early exit at the hands of Liverpool during the 2018/19 iteration of this competition. By contrast, Lazio are only appearing in the round of 16 for the third time in club history, and the Aquile have not only won just one of their last seven meetings against German sides but also were thoroughly beaten by Bayern (6-2 on aggregate) during the 2020/21 Champions League round of 16.
Lazio secured their spot at this juncture after successfully navigating their way through a tricky group stage campaign. Maurizio Sarri’s side secured a gritty 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid, with the equalizer coming from the unlikeliest of sources: shot-stopper Ivan Provedel. They also beat Celtic (both home and away) and picked up a crucial win over Dutch side Feyenoord to ensure that a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on matchday six didn’t end their Champions League journey.
However, it’s safe to say that despite Bayern’s struggles, Lazio will still be the big underdogs here. They were thoroughly beaten 3-0 by Inter in the Supercoppa Italiana and despite beating Cagliari 3-1 in their most recent match, the Aquile are not the most experienced side on the Champions League stage. Certainly, they do have the tools to cause Bayern a fair share of worries, especially as Thomas Tuchel’s side have shown that they are not without reproach and are not always the fearsome, all-conquering side that many have become accustomed to over the years.
That being said, Bayern’s record at this stage in the Champions League cannot be discounted. There is a reason why their name gets included in the group of potential contenders each season, and despite their issues domestically – they were also eliminated early from this season’s German Cup – die Roten could potentially end up being a sleeping giant in this year’s Champions League.
