UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich vs. Villarreal Preview, Odds, Prediction

Bayern Munich and Villarreal meet at the Allianz Arena in Munich in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinals matchup. The first one saw the Spaniards winning, and making a huge surprise, but they are yet to face the ultimate challenge and survive Bayern’s home field. Both teams haven’t been that confident this weekend in their respective domestic challenges, and apparently, Tuesday’s game was all they thought about. We don’t need to speak about stakes here. Everybody knows what they are.

Preview

Bayern Munich (-400) defeated Augsburg on Saturday with only 1-0. This was a very tough and hard match for the Bavarians who weren’t as lethal as usual. Nagelsmann’s unit had a few solid chances but failed to break the rival’s defense until the finish when Lewandowski scored from the penalty.

This was the sixth win in the last seven games at home for Bayern, who scored two or more goals in all but one of those victories. What is positive is that in the past two events they haven’t allowed a single hit in Neuer’s net.

Also, eight of the past 10 events at Allianz Arena were with three or more goals, but that is something normal due to Bayern’s flamboyant style of play.

Villarreal (+1000) didn’t have enough power to post another victory at home following the one against Bayern. The Yellow Submarine played just 1-1 against Bilbao, being obviously tired and deflated after Wednesday’s clash.

For the sixth time in the last seven games Villarreal played, we haven’t seen three or more goals. Unai Emery likes his team strong in the back and defensive-minded, rarely choosing to dictate the tempo and pressure the rivals.

The same is on the road, with three of their last four games ending with under 2.5 goals. The previous four were with just one side scoring, and also, Villarreal lost three of those four events without a single goal netted.

Latest News

Sarr and Tolisso aren’t available for the home side, but that isn’t a big problem for Nagelsmann. Meanwhile, Choupo-Moting is questionable.

On the other side, Moreno is still out for the guests, and Boulaye Dia is doubtful.

Head to Head Games

Villarreal won 1-0 in the first leg, and may we add that they completely stunned Bayern in the opening half. The Bavarians didn’t know what hit them. As time went by, Bayern was better and better, and later on, they had a few dead chances for scoring but miraculously, they couldn’t beat the keeper.

Prediction

Emery is a good manager, one of the best in Europe, and his tactical knowledge is at the highest possible level. But in this case, we truly doubt that he can make a miracle and save his team from a high beating in Munich. Bayern is a different animal in these situations, and we are most definitely sure that they are going to roll over the Spaniards. Our pick here is the home team to cover a 1.5-goal spread with the current odds set at -130. For those who want an even greater risk try Bayern -2.5, at +140.

Pick: Bayern Munich -1.5 -130

Here are more previews for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals

• Real Madrid vs. Chelsea
• Atletico Madrid vs. Manchester City
• Liverpool vs. Benfica