Bayern Munich was drawn against Chelsea in the Champions League’s round of 16 draws on Monday.
After a comfortable group stage campaign, Bayern Munich is set to face Chelsea in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Die Roten will travel to London in February while the return will be played in Munich during the second week of March.
Bayern cruised through their groups by winning all the six games, including an emphatic 10-3 aggregate scoreline against Tottenham Hotspurs. The Bundesliga champions scored 24 goals in the group stage, second-most for a team in the competition’s history.
Chelsea meanwhile had to work hard to qualify for the second round of the Champions League. The London based club came second in their group behind Valencia. Chelsea had a narrow lead of one point over the third-placed Ajax team in the Champions League group.
This is the second year in a row that Bayern will face an English club during the second round of CL. They were knocked out in this round last year against Liverpool, who eventually went on to win the competition. Hasan Salihamidzic admitted (via FC Bayern) that the fixtures against Chelsea will be attractive.
"“Chelsea have done very well with their young players.”“It’s an attractive tie. We accept the challenge of course and want to go through.”"
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The two sides last faced in the Champions League final way back in 2012. Chelsea scored a last-minute equalizer to take the European final into the extra time. The English club went out to win the game in penalties and lift their first UCL title. It was an agonizing defeat for Bayern as they suffered the defeat at Allianz Arena.
Bayern are favourites for this tie, but Chelsea will not be pushovers. Frank Lampard has done some fine work with young players at Chelsea in his debut season at the club. They play an attractive style of football and also have the right players to hit teams on the counter.
Chelsea will be much stronger by the time Bayern face them as their transfer ban is lifted and they are expected to spend big during the winter transfer window. On the other hand, Bayern will have Lucas Hernandez back in the squad after spending two months on sidelines due to a serious injury. His arrival will help Die Roten to be more solid at the back.
I expect Bayern to reach the quarterfinals of CL after being drawn against Chelsea. They are not a formidable side they used to be, but Die Roten cannot afford to be complacent going into these games. Rekordmeister’s recent record against London based clubs has been encouraging, and I am backing that record to improve after the two games against Chelsea.