Bayern Munich hope to turn their first leg advantage into a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday, taking on Bayer Leverkusen in a matchup between the last two Bundesliga winners.
Leverkusen may have landed in the round of 16 after a top eight finish in the league phase, while Bayern had to go through the knockout phase playoffs, but the latter came out with a 3-0 win in last week’s first leg and have the upper hand heading into the second leg.
Here’s what you need to know about tuning in.
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Pardeep Cattry
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, March 11 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: BayArena — Leverkusen, Germany
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Bayer Leverkusen +165; Draw +260; Bayern Munich +150
Don’t miss any of the Champions League. As always, you can catch all of our coverage across Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network all season long.
Storylines
Bayer Leverkusen: If anyone can come back from a three goal deficit, it might be Bayer Leverkusen, who made it all the way here off the back of a record-breaking season in which they avoided defeat time and time again and in the most dramatic of circumstances. They came into the first leg on an eight game unbeaten run but have since lost twice, registering a surprise defeat on Saturday with a 2-0 loss against Werder Bremen. To make matters more challenging, they will be without midfielder Florian Wirtz, who picked up a ligament injury on Saturday. Replacing his 15 goal, 12 assist season will make clinching a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals a tall task, even against a somewhat susceptible Bayern team. They will also be without Nordi Mukiele, who was sent off during a nightmarish second half last week.
Bayern Munich: Things have not always been straightforward for Bayern in the Champions League this season, but the scales finally tipped in their favor last week thanks to Leverkusen’s capitulation in the second half of the first leg. That win extended their unbeaten run to 10, though that came to a sudden halt on Saturday when they went down to 10 and lost 3-2 to Bochum in Bundesliga play. The result put no dent at all in their campaign to win the league since they still have an eight point lead on Leverkusen and probably will not mess with their momentum in the Champions League. They may have been imperfect during their European run so far, but blowing a 3-0 is easier said than done, even without the injured Manuel Neuer.
Projected lineups
Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky, Tapsoba, Tah, Hermoos, Arthur, Xhaka, Garcia, Tella, Adli, Buendia, Schick
Bayern Munich: Urbig, Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies, Goretzka, Kimmich, Olise, Musiala, Coman, Kane
Prediction
Even if Leverkusen have played well against Bayern in the past, doing so without two impactful players in Florian Wirtz and Nordi Mukiele will be a sizable challenge. Expect Bayern to take it easy considering the circumstances and survive the second leg, even if there’s a minor complication along the way. Pick: Bayer Leverkusen 1, Bayern Munich 0
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