Chelsea must overturn a three-goal deficit in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Following a commanding display from the German side at Stamford Bridge back in February, Bayern already have one foot in the quarter-finals. But can Chelsea spark a miraculous turnaround?
The Blues managed to hold off Bayern in the first half of the first leg. But after the break, the floodgates opened. Serge Gnabry scored twice in three minutes before Robert Lewandowski completed the scoring.
From Göteborg to Manchester 🔴⚪The best of our Champions League knockout games between 1995 and 2000 ✨🎬 https://t.co/yv3O9MrKio#MiaSanMia #UCL #FCBayern— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) August 3, 2020
From Göteborg to Manchester 🔴⚪The best of our Champions League knockout games between 1995 and 2000 ✨🎬 https://t.co/yv3O9MrKio#MiaSanMia #UCL #FCBayern
It was a completely dominant performance from Hansi Flick’s side, who enjoyed 60% possession and registered 15 shots. And to make matter worse for Chelsea, Marcos Alonso was sent off late on.
Bayern cruised through the group stage, winning all six of their group games to finish eight points clear of second-place Tottenham Hotspur at the top of Group B.
Flick’s men scored 24 group-stage goals (at an average of four goals per game) and only conceded five along the way.
Bayern also finished their domestic campaign in frightening form, winning 19 of their final 20 league games to finish 13 points clear of Borussia Dortmund and claim an eighth straight Bundesliga title.
Lewandowski is arguably in the form of his life right now. The lethal Polish striker netted 34 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances in 2019/20 and has scored 11 is six Champions League games so far.
On the other hand, Chelsea scraped through to the knockout stages after finishing second in Group H – one point ahead of third-place Ajax.
The Blues only managed to win half of their group games, although two hard-fought draws against Ajax and Valencia saw them advance.
Chelsea ended their domestic campaign in inconsistent form, winning six and drawing three of their nine games after the resumption.
However, Frank Lampard’s side still managed to secure a top-four finish and book their place in next season’s Champions League.
Head-to-head: Chelsea beat Bayern in the 2012 Champions League final. The game finished 1-1, but the English side eventually lifted the trophy following a penalty shootout.
Having said that, the German side completely outplayed Chelsea back in February. The manner with which Bayern dispatched the Blues in the first leg was hugely impressive.
Team news: Christian Pulisic will miss the second leg after picking up a hamstring injury in the FA Cup final, while Pedro, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Willian are all doubts for Chelsea.
Bayern are likely to be without Benjamin Pavard after the Frenchman sustained ligament damage, but Flick has a full squad to choose from apart from that.
Chelsea have no choice but to go for broke on Saturday. The Blues must score at least three just to force the tie to extra-time, but an attacking approach could leave the team exposed at the back.
Forebet predicts that this game will produce over 3.5 goals. A high-scoring draw is on the cards here.