Franck Ribery confident Bayern Munich will beat Liverpool

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery is confident that his team will deliver a good performance against Liverpool on Wednesday.

There were some impressive comebacks in the first set of return leg fixtures in this season’s Champions League round of 16. Bayern Munich will be involved in the biggest clash of the second set of games when they host Liverpool at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

This tie still hangs in the balance, as Bayern Munich dug deep in the first leg at Anfield, holding their hosts to a 0-0 draw. Since then, Die Roten have gained momentum in the Bundesliga and dethroned Borussia Dortmund at the top of the league. Speaking to Bild (via AS) last week, Franck Ribery insisted he is confident Bayern can beat Liverpool on Wednesday.

"“The games against Liverpool are very important. I’m really motivated.“We’re in a good mood and we’re playing at home. Liverpool have a strong side, but we are Bayern. We have confidence in our good performances and we’re not afraid of Liverpool.“If we play together and fight, then we can get into the quarterfinals, and then we have a real chance.”"

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Bayern have recorded two big wins against Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg in the last few weeks. The defending champions are gaining momentum at the right time of the season, as important games are coming thick and fast across all competitions. They have put themselves back in the lead of the Bundesliga title race after being seven points behind Dortmund at the end of 2018.

The Bavarians have been poor defensively most of this season, leaking cheap goals on a consistent basis this season. However, there have been signs of improvement in this department in the last two months. The defense is now more compact and is conceding far fewer chances than in the first half of the season. These positive improvements surely show that Kovac’s philosophy is slowly getting implemented at Bayern.

Die Roten are set for a difficult clash against Liverpool irrespective of their recent upturn in form. They don’t have an away goal to their advantage, so Liverpool go into this game with a slight edge. The match will be a great test for Kovac, though, as he will have to find the right mix of caution and aggression to overcome Jurgen Klopp’s side. The visitors will be boosted by the return of Virgil van Dijk and will be more difficult to break down due to the Dutchman’s fantastic form in the heart of defense.

Franck Ribery came on as a second-half substitute against Liverpool in their first encounter. The Frenchman might be in line to start the second leg, though, due to the injuries and suspensions of Bayern’s other attacking players. Ribery has the habit of delivering in clutch situations, so him starting this game is not exactly a big problem for Kovac. Moreover, his experience couls be key in breaking down Liverpool’s stubborn defense.