Bayern Munich vs Tottenham Hotspur: Champions League Preview and Prediction

Bayern Munich is all set to host Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League group stage at Allianz Arena, tonight. How many goals will the Bavarians score?

Well, I hope you understand why I asked that question. The last time Bayern played against Tottenham in the UCL, they went on to score seven goals at Spurs’ new stadium (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium). This time the German club will be playing at home. So, I’m expecting a high scoring one-sided fixture.

One thing, however, has changed since Spurs' last defeat against Bayern. Mauricio Pochettino was replaced by Jose Mourinho as the Tottenham manager. This change improved the performance of the English club. Also, the Portuguese has amazing defensive tactics and we might witness a parked bus in the defensive area of Spurs at Allianz Arena.

The Bavarians would have been a little tensed if Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son could participate in this battle. Mourinho, however, has rested his key players to provide opportunities to youngsters. Also, the two sides have already qualified for the next stage, which means that this fixture is just a formality.

Tottenham have scored at least four goals in their last three UCL fixtures while Bayern have scored at least two goals in nine out of their last 11 UCL fixtures. Also, the English club have won their last three fixtures in the UCL while the Bavarians have won their all five group games in the ongoing season.

Injury Update

Lucas Hernández, Niklas Sule, Jann-Fiete Arp, and Michaël Cuisance are going to be absent from Bayern’s squad.

As for Tottenham, Hugo Lloris, Erik Lamela, Michel Vorm, Harry Winks, and Ben Davies are all sidelined due to injury.

Key Battles:

Robert Lewandowski vs Juan Foyth

This is going to be a one-sided battle as Robert Lewandowski is in the best form of his life currently. The Polish striker is the leading goal scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals in five games this season.

Juan Foyth, on the other hand, has played two UCL fixtures and has an average of one tackle per game and 0.5 clearance per game. The stats aren’t impressive and when you are up against Lewandowski, the pressure gets double.

The Bayern striker has pace, ball control and his positioning inside the box makes him a complete lethal weapon upfront. If Foyth wants to keep the Polish striker silent, then he will need his teammates’ help.

David Alaba vs Lucas Moura

This is going to be an interesting battle as the last UCL semi-final hero, Lucas Moura will take on David Alaba. The two players are going to give everything to get better of each other and help their side in moving to the next stage on a high note.

Alaba is averaging one tackle per game and two clearances per game in his three UCL appearances this season. While Moura has scored one goal and provided one assist in his three appearances in the competition.

The Austrian defender has to be quick to stop Moura from scoring a goal. The Brazilian, on the other hand, will have lots of responsibility for scoring as Son and Kane are not playing. Also, Moura’s long-range shots are amazing, which means Alaba has to keep constant pressure on him and cut off his space.

Prediction

This fixture could have been interesting, if Kane, Son, and Dele Alli were in the playing XI. This provides Bayern a clear-cut chance of thrashing the English club, tonight.

Also, the crowd support is going to phenomenal and with last weekend defeat in the Bundesliga. A good margin win will make the Bavarians’ fans happy.

According to the given conditions and squad, I feel Bayern will at least score three goals, but they might concede as well because their defensive line hasn’t been solid this season. Moreover, I believe that Lewandowski will score a brace and increase his chances of finishing as the top scorer of UCL this season.

Predicted score – Bayern Munich 3 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur