Bayern Munich go to Besiktas to confirm their Champions League quarter-final place

Bayern Munich travel to Turkey to face Besiktas as they look to confirm their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The Bavarians will be confident about going through to the next round of Europe’s premier competition after an emphatic 5-0 win in the first leg of this fixture. Bayern Munich would like to come out on the winning side in a hostile stadium. And luck is on their side, as the German champions have been unbeaten in all competitions throughout the past three months.

Bayern come into this fixture fresh off a dominating 6-0 win over Hamburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday. They are cruising in the German league, just a few games away from their sixth consecutive Bundesliga title.

The hosts also come into this game after a positive result in the Turkish league. Besiktas are currently second in Turkey, trailing Galatasaray by three points. They will be hoping to come out of this game with a positive result as a comeback in this tie is unlikely.

Team News

Bayern Munich travelled to Turkey without Arjen Robben. The Dutch winger has a minor knock which will keep him out of this game. Corentin Tolisso didn’t travel with the squad either after suffering an injury against Hamburg.

James Rodriguez is back in action after being out since the first leg due to a minor injury. Thiago Alcantara is also available for this game after missing the first leg, as he was just building up his fitness after returning from a serious injury. Kingsley Coman and Manuel Neuer remain the long-term absentees for the Germans.

Predicted XI

Jupp Heynckes can afford to rotate his team in this game due to the huge lead on aggregate. However, Sven Ulreich will continue to play in goal as the German continues to steadily improve. Mats Hummels and Niklas Sule will probably form the partnership in the heart of the defense, while Rafinha and Juan Bernat are likely to slot in the full-back roles.

Javi Martinez will continue to play in the holding midfield role. Arturo Vidal is likely to play the role of box-to-box midfielder. Finally, Thiago Alcantara will complete the midfield by being the most attacking of the trio.

Thomas Muller and Franck Ribery are likely to occupy the flanks as the other wide forwards are injured. Heynckes might play Sandro Wagner in this game, allowing a rest for Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker is one yellow card away from suspension.

"UlreichRafinha-Sule-Hummels-BernatThiago-Martinez-VidalMuller-Wagner-Ribery"

Opposition Focus

Besiktas were hugely impressive at home during the group stage in the Champions League, but the Turkish team will need a miraculous effort to comeback in this tie. However, they would surely like to end their Champions League on a high note with a good performance in front of their home crowd.

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The home side are without their first choice center-backs. Besiktas have good firepower in attack. Ricardo Quaresma and Anderson Talisca are dangerous players who can cause havoc in the final third. Ryan Babel has also been in fine form for Besiktas this season. Bayern Munich will have to be solid defensively in order to see out this tie as there are good forwards in the home side who can be a big threat on the counter.

Prediction

Besiktas 1-2 Bayern Munich