Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid preview

May 2, 2016
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Bayern vs AtleticoGerman champions Bayern Munich face an uphill task after the 1-0 defeat in the first leg, and their current form is enough to suggest that improvement is needed if their Champions League campaign is going to continue.

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, impressed once again to edge closer to the final, but they need to be alert for at least 90 more minutes in order to get the job done.

Even if Borussia Dortmund did manage to mount a serious title challenge, Bayern Munich are closing in on yet another Bundesliga trophy.

The Bavarians missed the first opportunity to win the chase as the under-strength side could only muster a 1-1 draw with Borussia M’gladbach, but that is no cause for concern.

While Bayern have games against weak Ingolstadt and Hannover to make things right in Bundesliga, they only get one shot at Champions League glory, so nobody was surprised to see Pep Guardiola rest his key men at the weekend.

With a number of star players now set to return, the Bavarians have been made 1.65 (13/20) favourites to defeat Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, although it is clear that will be no easy job.

Star forward Thomas Muller should be recalled after he was surprisingly left out of the side in the first leg, but Arjen Robben and Holger Badstuber continue to miss out.

Franck Ribery faces a fitness test as he battles a back injury, while Jerome Boateng is fit to play even if he lacks match fitness.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Neuer – Lahm, Martinez, Alaba, Bernat – Thiago, Alonso, Vidal – Muller, Lewandowski, Douglas Costa.

Atletico Madrid were on fire during the 2013/2014 season, winning the league title and narrowly missing out on the Champions League trophy, but not too many people believed the success would be repeated any time soon.

However, Diego Simeone’s charges have once again managed to prove everyone wrong, reviving their league title bid as they went level with leaders Barcelona, while enjoying more European glory.

Atletico Madrid defeated the mighty Catalans in the Champions League quarter-finals, as they overcame a one-goal deficit from the first leg, thus setting up a semi-final date with Bayern Munich.

And while some believed that would be the end of the road for los Colchoneros, they again rose to the occasion and recorded a 1-0 triumph in the first leg.

As a result, Atletico are now priced at 1.74 (8/11) to qualify for the final, and the latest reports suggest they will be even stronger than a week ago.

Namely, Diego Godin and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco have both resumed training and are fit to face Bayern at Allianz Arena.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Oblak – Juanfran, Gimenez, Godin, Filipe Luis – Saul, Gabi, Fernandez, Koke – F. Torres, Griezmann.

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