Michael Owen’s prediction for Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday night hints at the fatal flaw that Liverpoo...
Michael Owen’s prediction for Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday night hints at the fatal flaw that Liverpool must exploit if they are to get past their German opponents and into the last eight of the competition.
The Bundesliga champions couldn’t find an away goal at Anfield a fortnight ago, and as Owen rightly points out, that could be the key to the whole tie.
Speaking to BetVictor, he said: “Only 10 of the 31 sides who have drawn 0-0 at home in the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie have progressed to the next round. The stats suggest it is advantage Bayern, but I’m not so sure.
“The Reds were not at their brilliant best against Burnley on Sunday, but they got the job done and they will be confident of scoring against Bayern who moved to the top of the Bundesliga table at the weekend – albeit on goal difference from Borussia Dortmund.
“Dortmund were no match for Spurs over two legs and Schalke are not in the same class as City. I expect the Reds to make it Bundesliga 0 Premier League 3, but it might just be the Bavarians lack of an away goal that comes back to haunt them in Munich.”
Owen then predicted the game to finish 1-1.
The fact that Bayern couldn’t score on Merseyside now means that they face a real conundrum going into this game at the Allianz Arena.
They will feel that they need a goal to settle the nerves, but realistically, scoring just the one makes no real difference.
Should Liverpool pull off a score draw, they will advance to the quarter finals on away goals, and that means that the Germans will feel they need to hit two without reply if they are to gain any kind of comfortable foothold in the match.
Going toe to toe with this Liverpool side in an attacking duel, however, is asking for trouble. The pace and ruthlessness the Reds possess on the counter make them far too lethal to duke it out with in a match of this magnitude, but equally, sitting in and inviting Jurgen Klopp’s men to attack could lead to the kind of bombardment that would surely spell an end to Bayern’s European hopes.
It’s a real dilemma, and one that Liverpool will be rubbing their hands in glee over.
Ultimately, that solid away performance could prove to be Bayern’s undoing.
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