STAR PREVIEW Tues: Bayern Munich v Villarreal

Bayern Munich were strong favourites to progress to the semi-finals after being drawn against Villarreal, but they were deservedly outplayed last week in a 1-0 defeat and could be in for a difficult night back in Munich.

Bayern backers and fans will point to their 7-1 win against Salzburg in the last 16 second leg, when they’d been flat in the opening encounter on foreign soil, but Villarreal performed better than Salzburg did in a deserved 1-0 first leg victory and the tactical nous of Unai Emery, along with other factors, can make life difficult for the hosts.

Last week Villarreal’s tactics were backed up with fine individual showings, as they exposed Bayern’s counter defence in style. This plan was carried out in style by Raul Albiol and Pau Torres in defence, Etienne Capoue, Daniel Parejo and Giovani Lo Celso in midfield, and Gerard Moreno and goal scorer Arnaut Danjuma upfront.

Bayern Munich v Villarreal CF
UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg
20:00 BT Sport 3 HD

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches)
APR 2022 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Villarreal 1-0 Bayern Munich
NOV 2011 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Bayern Munich 3-1 Villarreal
SEP 2011 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Villarreal 0-2 Bayern Munich

Bayern were clearly second best on the night, with their midfield in particular overrun at times by their counterparts, and whilst a return to the Allianz Arena should bring out obvious improvement, those expecting a repeat of their romp in the last 16 here could be very disappointed.

Firstly, it’s worth underlining how well Villarreal played last week. Despite losing the shot and corner counts they had the better of the games big chances and it showed, as they won InfoGol’s xG count 1.61 – 1.23. Indeed, their biggest frustration is likely to be the fact they don’t have a bigger lead – Francis Coquelin had a goal ruled out, while Gerard Moreno hit the post and then failed to take advantage of a howler from Manuel Neuer.

Secondly, whilst Bayern did overwhelm Salzburg, Villarreal’s big game form suggests they can stand up to a Bavarian onslaught.

Villarreal upset Manchester United in the Europa League final last season, took Chelsea to penalties in the Super Cup, have beaten Juventus 3-0 in Turin and drawn twice with Real Madrid in La Liga in the space of the last year, so their big game record is admirable, and they can make life very difficult for Bayern, who will be forced to chase the game from the start here.

We can expect better from the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry, and Thomas Muller tonight, but Bayern needed a late Robert Lewandowski penalty to squeeze past Augsburg at the weekend (whilst Emery rested many of his players) and the visitors can be very competitive with a two goal start on the Asian Handicap.

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