Champions League preview: Lazio vs Bayern Munich & Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Sociedad
Lazio vs Bayern Munich
Can Lazio possibly take advantage of the Harry Kane team’s moment of frailty? Or do Bayern come roaring back in Rome on Wednesday night?
Ahead of this trip to the Stadio Olimpico, the Bavarian side lost to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday – giving their title rivals a five-point advantage in the race for the Bundesliga title.
Now, amidst talk that Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel could be set for the axe – there are even rumours that Jose Mourinho could be in the frame for the Munich job – can the Bavarian team forget their domestic form and see off the Serie A side?
In fairness, Tuchel’s side are unbeaten in the CL this season, winning five of their six matches to date. As for Kane, while he couldn’t find the net against Leverkusen he’s hardly been a slouch since arriving in Germany; the former Tottenham man has 24 goals in 21 league appearances to date, a run that includes three hat-tricks.
More modestly, Lazio won three matches in the group stage to finish as runners up; a difficult night could be in store for the hosts. Bayern are still firm favourites to win this one.
When these sides met in the 2020-2021 season, Bayern won 4-1 in Rome; can Maurizio Sarri’s men give a better account of themselves this time? Lazio aren’t exactly in unstoppable form domestically at the moment, though they did win at the weekend to Cagliari.
But Bayern are unbeaten in their last seven away games in Italy; home and away, they’re unbeaten in their last 12 matches with Italian opposition, with 10 of those games ending in victory for the Bundesliga side.
The likeliest outcome would seem to be the visitors shaking off the disappointment of the weekend, then. Combine Bayern to win and Kane to score in a double at 13/10.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Sociedad
While Paris Saint-Germain haven’t always delivered in this competition, Luis Enrique’s side go into this match in notably better form than their opponents.
The Ligue 1 side were pretty ropey in the group stage, winning only two of their games en route to a runner-up finish behind Borussia Dortmund. But PSG were nonetheless unbeaten at the Parc des Princes; and domestically, they’re unbeaten in their last 16 league games.
Sociedad won three of their group games and were unbeaten in all six to top their group, which should give manager Imanol Alguacil cause for optimism. Still, a glance at the side’s recent La Liga results paints a less perky picture. The San Sebastian side have won just one of their last eight La Liga games.
Admittedly, Real only lost twice during that spell – but four of the remaining five draws ended goalless. And on a similarly dolorous note, the side haven’t even scored a goal in their last four matches in all competitions. Getting hyped for this one yet?
At least Kylian Mbappe isn’t struggling for goals; he’s scored 20 in 18 league games so far this season. It’s been widely reported that Mbappe will leave PSG at the end of the season; can the 25-year-old cap his final campaign with Champions League glory?
Either way, he remains the French side’s likeliest source of goals, and is 14/5 to find the opener here; he scored the first goal against both Dortmund and Milan in group games at the Parc des Princes earlier this season.
Alternatively, if you’re still thinking of Sociedad’s recent goalless draws, you could back the nil-nil at 17/2; whatever their recent difficulties in front of goal, the Spanish side may at least be capable of frustrating the hosts on Wednesday night.
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