
Bayern Munich train ahead of Rome trip and Lazio in UCL last 16
Bayern Munich travel to Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash this evening.
On the domestic front, Bayern’s bid for a 12th consecutive Bundesliga title has hit the rocks somewhat and they suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat to Leverkusen at the weekend, leaving them trailing their league-leading rivals by five points. Bayern only managed one shot on target in the game, the first time that has happened in eight years.
Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane was also kept quiet in the clash, in an otherwise prolific season where he has scored 28 goals and provided eight assists in all competitions. He has also scored four goals in six Champions League matches and will look to fire his side into the quarter-finals as he seeks the first trophy of his career.
Bayern romped away with 16 points from a possible 18 in their Champions League group, which included Manchester United, while Lazio – who currently lie eighth in Serie A – came second behind Atletico Madrid in Group C.
Follow all the action from the last-16 clash below and get the latest odds and tips here:
Lazio v Bayern Munich – Champions League updates
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Lazio v Bayern Munich
We’re about 10 minutes away from kick-off in Rome now
(REUTERS)
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Luke Baker14 February 2024 19:50
Harry Kane confident of winning silverware at Bayern Munich before Euro 2024 bid
Harry Kane is confident he will win silverware with Bayern Munich this season before trying to lead England to Euro 2024 glory in Germany.
The 30-year-old is blazing a trail in the Bundesliga following his summer move from Tottenham, scoring 28 goals in his first 27 games as Bayern are locked in a title race with Bayer Leverkusen and also in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
He hopes his goals continue Bayern’s domination of German football before aiming for more glory in his new homeland with England in the European Championship.
“I’m feeling confident,” he told the PA news agency. “Bayern Munich have been winning their league for the last 11 years or so and also won the Champions League a few years ago, there’s an expectation to be winning every trophy that we’re in.
“The focus is to win both tournaments.”
Luke Baker14 February 2024 19:40
Manchester City bring reminder of why they’re European champions with classy display against Copenhagen
Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva netted either side of an unexpected Magnus Mattsson equaliser as City dominated a last-16 first leg they could have won far more convincingly.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated in every aspect at the Danish capital’s famously atmospheric Parken Stadium and Phil Foden completed a deserved success late on.
With close to 80 per cent possession, the holders were hardly troubled and will be confident of wrapping up a place in the quarter-finals when the sides meet again in Manchester in three weeks.
Luke Baker14 February 2024 19:30
Bayer Leverkusen stun Bayern Munich to take charge of Bundesliga title race
Bayer Leverkusen celebrated carnival weekend in the Rhineland with a superb 3-0 win over Bayern Munich which sent them five points clear of their opponents at the top of the Bundesliga.
Josip Stanisic, the man on loan from Bayern, opened the scoring against a static defence in the 18th minute before Alex Grimaldo doubled the lead five minutes into the second half.
An exclamation point was added in stoppage time when Manuel Neuer came up for a corner and missed the ball, with Jeremie Frimpong firing into an empty net.
Now Bayern will look to bounce back from that harrowing loss against Lazio this evening.
Bayer Leverkusen were triumphant against Bayern Munich at the weekend
(AP)
Luke Baker14 February 2024 19:19
Predictable Champions League has lost its magic —and now faces an uncertain future
As the players return for the Champions League knockouts this week, there’s a question being discussed by their bosses that is more engaging than who might win the competition. The latter, after all, feels even more predictable than last season.
That is why club executives have recently been talking about the potential fallout of December’s European Super League decision and exploring one potential consequence. If someone went to Uefa and came up with a competition that raised half the prize money but guaranteed historic mid-tier clubs such as Celtic, Benfica and PSV Eindhoven had a better chance of winning it, would they take the leap? Should that not be what they are looking to do now?
The latter is something the European Court of Justice ruling essentially implies, since any such challenge would involve Uefa having to do an economic analysis to show their competition benefits the wider European game. That is something that has never been properly done, but a mere glance across this season’s last-16 ties indicates its outcome would be uncertain; maybe more uncertain than many of the matches.
On the pitch, the knockout stages of the Champions League appear to be more predictable than ever – but off it, the future of European football’s premier competition looks unclear, explains Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney:
Luke Baker14 February 2024 19:14
Lazio v Bayern Munich team news
Here’s how we expect both teams to line up this evening.
Gustav Isaken, Ciro Immobile and Felipe Anderson will be charged with breaching the Bayern defence but can Lazio cope defensively? There’ll be big pressure on full-backs Adam Marusic and Elseid Hysaj to cope with a marauding Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala.
England captain Harry Kane leads the line for Bayern with Thomas Muller likely to drop in behind. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka will patrol the midfield in front of a back four that includes Kim Minjae following his return from the Asian Cup.
Lazio XI: Provedel; Marusic, Romagnoli, Gila, Hysaj; Guendouzi, Vecino, Alberto; Isaksen, Immobile, Anderson
Bayern Munich XI: Neuer; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Musiala; Kane
Luke Baker14 February 2024 19:07
Lazio v Bayern Munich team news
The team line-ups are out:
Luke Baker14 February 2024 19:01
What Bayern Munich and PSG’s common goal tells us about the state of the Champions League
Sometimes opposites can have the most in common. Bayern Munich are European aristocracy, six-time champions of the continent, a dynastic club. Paris Saint-Germain are the nouveaux riches, paying prices Bayern long considered obscene and yet never winning the Champions League. They are Qatari-owned, Bayern Bavarian to their core, even ending their much-criticised sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.
And yet they are also inextricably linked, sharing a particular position. A Champions League campaign can define anyone’s season and, in various ways, Europe has become central to the identity of clubs as different as Real Madrid and Manchester City; but arguably Champions League campaigns define every season at Bayern and PSG more than anywhere else.
Read Richard Jolly’s full analysis of the situation facing Bayern and PSG:
Luke Baker14 February 2024 18:55
Lazio vs Bayern Munich betting tips: Champions League predictions, odds and free bets
If the pressure wasn’t on Bayern Munich to make a deep run in the Champions League before the start of the season, it almost certainly is now with their Bundesliga title defence in tatters.
Leverkusen are now 1/2 with football betting sites to end Bayern’s 11-year run as champions and having already gone out of the DFB Pokal, the Champions League looks to be Bayern’s best shot at silverware this season.
UK bookmakers have faith they can bounce back from the Leverkusen lashing when they go to Rome, making them strong favourites to win the first leg of the last-16 tie against Lazio (8pm, TNT Sports 1).
Here are our betting tips and predictions for the game:
Luke Baker14 February 2024 18:40
Early Lazio team news
Nicolo Rovella returns from suspension for Lazio and Mattia Zaccagni may be back in the squad after a toe injury but Spanish centre-back Patric is still struggling with a shoulder problem. Skipper Ciro Immobile will again lead an attacking triumvirate.
Lazio predicted XI: Provedel; Marusic, Romagnoli, Gila, Hysaj; Guendouzi, Rovella, Alberto; Isaksen, Immobile, Anderson
Luke Baker14 February 2024 18:25