Champions League Tuesday: An Unforgettable Night

Dominic Vieira

Tonight we are blessed with a classic Bayern Munich vs Manchester United and the French crunch Lyon vs Bordeuax. Get ready for another exhilarating Champions League Tuesday!

Bayern Munich vs Manchester United, 19:45 GMT, Allianz Arena

Looking at this fixture reminds me of the breathtaking 1999 final, where United beat Bayern 2-1, scoring two last minute goals. The Bavarians did get their revenge by knocking the Red Devils out of the quarter finals in 2001, but there are still scars from the 1999 final. In the previous round, both clubs faced challenging opponents; Manchester United beat AC Milan 7-2 aggregate and Bayern narrowly knocked out Fiorentina with a 4-4 aggregate. Neither of the sides can be classified as the underdogs and they will be playing the quarter final at a very high level of football.

Manchester United will field their strongest side; they are boosted by the return of Rio Ferdinand and goal machine Wayne Rooney. The players sidelined for tonight are the usual, Wes Brown, Michael Owen, John O’shea and Anderson. As it is the Champions League, the side are most likely to play with their typical 4-5-1 formation. Bayern’s defence and goalkeeper are their main weaknesses, the likes of Wayne Rooney, Berbatov, Valencia, Park and Nani will be constant threats and if United create chances, they will punish FCB. It is also going to be an interesting battle to see who will mark Ribery on the right side, Bayern’s star man and main threat.

Bayern Munich are desperate that Arjen Robben will be fit in time, Van Gaal is not going to reveal whether he will play or not. The Dutch winger has been enjoying a fabulous season in the Bundesliga and has stolen the limelight from Ribery. It will be a huge loss if Robben does not feature tonight; he has been the driving force for FCB. German striker Mario Gomez has recovered from injury, but is probably not going to play or sit on the bench. He is a dangerous aerial threat, Vidic and Ferdinand will be blessed by his absence. Finally, home-boy Schweinsteiger is missing the first leg due to suspension. However, the fringe Bayern defence is boosted by the return of centre-back and leader Demichelis. Despite many absences, Bayern will put up a strong challenge, Klose and Ribery are match winning players and could decide the game tonight.

Bayern Munich (4-4-2): Butt; Lahm, Van Buyten, Demichelis, Badstuber; Robben, Van Bommel ©, Tymoshchuk, Ribery; Klose, Olic

Manchester United (4-5-1): Van der Sar; Neville ©, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Nani; Rooney

Prediction: Bayern Munich 1 – 2 Manchester United, the Red Devils are in flying form, they’ve won their past 5 games and in some style. United have an experienced side and the return of Rooney and Ferdinand will make a significant difference. Their defence will be at full strength and Bayern will have problems passing through it. However, it will not be an easy win for United as they are playing at a hard ground and against a strong team. Bayern lost at home on the weekend and they will need to find their form. However, it is a 50-50 challenge and either team can win, but I can see United edging this one over. A classic battle between two European giants!

Lyon vs Bordeaux, 19:45 GMT, Stade Gerland

The Bayern vs United match will not overshadow the clash between the two French giants, Lyon vs Bordeaux. Both clubs are having great European seasons; Bordeaux knocked out Olympiacos and Lyon beat favourites Real Madrid in the previous round. In recent times, the rivalry between the two has intensified as Bordeuax surpassed Lyon as Ligue 1 champions.

Lyon will be favourites tonight as they benefit from the home factor and rested many key players on the weekend as they beat Grenoble. Boumsoung will be returning for Lyon and has been a solid player this season; his main job will be to cover Chamakh. Francois Clerc and Cleber Anderson are both sidelined, but they are not starters. Lyon will be playing offensive football and Bordeaux will have to look out for Lisandro Lopez, Lyon’s goal scorer and main threat. Cesar Delgado and Pjanic are dangerous men and will also be threats, but Les Gones’ key man is Toulalan, the backbone and brain of the team.

Bordeaux are without anchor man and captain Alou Diarra, which is a devastating blow; he brings leadership, stability and control to the team. The lack of control in the middle of the field can be a problem for Bordeaux and Sané will have to play at his best. Planus and Sertic are also injured for the match. Lyon will be constantly threatened by playmaker Gourcuff, he is at the top of his game and probably the best player in the Ligue 1. He will be playing alongside deadly and clinical partner Fernando, who will also cause problems for Les Gones. If Brodeaux are badly marked and given freedom, they have the ability to destroy Lyon.

Bordeaux (4-1-4-1): Carrasso; Chalme, Ciani, Henrique, Tremoulinas; Sane; Plasil, Fernando, Gourcuff, Wendel; Chamakh ©

Prediction: Lyon 1 – 1 Bordeuax, it is an incredibly close match, Lyon are strong at home but Bordeuax are having a brilliant campaign, with big performances against Bayern and Juventus. The team that gets a little bit luckier may win this one, but the team which plays better should win. The ball will be battled mostly in the centre of the park, but will Alou Diarra be missed?

What is your view of the quarter finals?