Bayern Munich vs Villarreal

Allianz Arena is the venue as Bayern Munich hope to overturn a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Spain and overcome Villarreal in their exciting UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie.

Bayern Munich left it late against bottom-half Bundesliga outfit Augsburg at the weekend, as they needed a late penalty to pull off a narrow 1-0 home win. A hard-earned league triumph could inspire the ‘Bavarians’ to come back from a first-leg defeat for the first time in six seasons, last achieving that feat against Porto in the 2014/15 quarter-finals. Desperate to avoid consecutive quarter-final eliminations in the Champions League, Julian Nagelsmann’s men can fall back on their six-game unbeaten home form across all competitions (W5, D1), netting an average of 3.33 goals per match in that period. However, Bayern’s first-leg loss at La Ceramica means the perennial Bundesliga champions have suffered their 20th European defeat against Spanish clubs, more than against teams from any other country.

On the other hand, Villarreal came from a 1-0 HT deficit to hold Athletic Bilbao to a 1-1 home draw at the weekend and boost their confidence ahead of this trip. Worryingly, though, Villarreal’s only previous Champions League visit to Germany yielded a 3-1 reverse at the hands of Bayern of all teams, a result which would send them packing. ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ defied the odds to become the first side since Liverpool in February 2019 to keep a clean sheet against Bayern in the Champions League. Another resolute defensive performance could be key to Villarreal’s bid to qualify for the semi-finals. They’ve lost three of their last four competitive away matches without finding the net (W1). Head coach Unai Emery will have an added motive to stage an upset here, as he could reach the Champions League last-four for the first time as a manager.