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Who will play a key role for Bayern Munich against Liverpool?

By Benjamin Scott

MUNICH, GERMANY - MARCH 09: Thiago, Serge Gnabry, Robert Lewandowski and James Rodriguez (L-R) of FC Bayern Muenchen celebrate Lewandowski's first goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and VfL Wolfsburg at Allianz Arena on March 09, 2019 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by A. Beier/Getty Images for FC Bayern )
MUNICH, GERMANY - MARCH 09: Thiago, Serge Gnabry, Robert Lewandowski and James Rodriguez (L-R) of FC Bayern Muenchen celebrate Lewandowski's first goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and VfL Wolfsburg at Allianz Arena on March 09, 2019 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by A. Beier/Getty Images for FC Bayern ) /
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MUNICH, GERMANY – MARCH 09: James Rodriguez of Bayern Munich celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and VfL Wolfsburg at Allianz Arena on March 09, 2019 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – MARCH 09: James Rodriguez of Bayern Munich celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and VfL Wolfsburg at Allianz Arena on March 09, 2019 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Who will be expected to play a key role for Bayern Munich on Wednesday when they take on Liverpool in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16?

Bayern Munich take on Liverpool tomorrow in the second leg of the most exciting matchup of this season’s Champions League round of 16. The Bavarians held Liverpool to a goalless draw at Anfield in the first leg, meaning they have it all to play for at the Allianz Arena.

Niko Kovac deserves recognition for his tactical approach in the first leg. His side played a much more subdued game than usual, opting for defensive stability rather than offensive firepower. The Croatian will have to be at his tactical best again tomorrow for Bayern to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals.

Kovac will have to make due without a few key players. Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich are both suspended for the match, while there are a few others injured. Nevertheless, there are a few players who could play an important role for Bayern Munich in their quest to overcome their old foe Jurgen Klopp and his new club.

James Rodriguez

This season hasn’t quite gone according to plan for James Rodriguez. The Colombian superstar certainly would have hoped to make himself a more prominent figure in the squad by this point in the season.

Various injuries have kept him sidelined for a hefty portion of the season, while he’s struggled somewhat with form when he has been fit. He hasn’t really performed on the same level that made him arguably Bayern’s best player last season.

At least, he hadn’t until the past few weeks. However, James started to look more like himself against Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend. He took it a step further on Saturday, completely dominating Wolfsburg from attacking midfield. There was no question who was running the show offensively for Bayern Munich.

Prior to these matches James had shown some glimpses of what he’s truly capable of, but his performance has gone up another level in the past two games. He could hardly have asked for a better primer for tomorrow’s match against Liverpool than what he got against Wolfsburg this past weekend.

Thomas Muller suspended and Leon Goretzka just coming back from injury, there’s no question who will be playing behind Robert Lewandowski on Wednesday — James has locked his spot in. The only question is which James Rodriguez shows up: The one that we saw this past weekend who eviscerates his opponents with his incredible vision, creativity and passing range? Or the more timid one who fails to leave any sort of recognizable mark on the match?

Niko Kovac and the rest of the Bayern squad need the former to show up. His ability to pick apart a defense with his splendid left foot will be desperately needed, as will his capability to both recycle possession in midfield and drive play forward when necessary (not to mention his pinpoint delivery from corner kicks and set pieces).

Keep your eye on the Colombian tomorrow. He has a huge opportunity to make himself a hero in the eyes of the Bayern faithful. Let’s hope he grabs it with both hands.