Bayern Munich set to face Red Bull Salzburg in R16 of UCL
It was a dramatic and chaotic Monday for UEFA as there was a major goof up in the draws for the first knockout stage of the Champions League. Bayern Munich was initially drawn against Atletico Madrid early in the day, but the draws were declared void after technical errors were diagnosed in the procedure.
UEFA got it right on the second instance, which saw Bayern getting drawn against Red Bull Salzburg in the Round of 16 stage of the Champions League. The Bavarian club will be facing RB Salzburg in European competition for the second season in a row.
The first leg of this tie will be played in Austria on February 16, while the return leg will take place on March 8. There will be no incentive of away goals during the knockout stages after UEFA decided to scrap the rule last year.
Bayern enjoyed a flawless record during the group stage this season. They won all six games and scored 22 goals while doing so. Along with Real Madrid, Die Roten conceded the least number of goals during the group campaign this season.
Meanwhile, Salzburg finished second in their group with 10 points, just one point behind leaders Lille. The Austrian club conceded only six goals in six games, showing solidity at the back. However, they managed only eight goals in six outings, showing inefficiency in front of the goal. The Austrian club will have to be much more effective in front of the goal to defeat Bayern.
Salzburg and Die Roten were in the same group last year. The German club got the better of Salzburg in both games. Die Roten went on to reach the quarter-final of the competition before getting knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain on away goals. Meanwhile, Salzburg played in Europa League after finishing third in the group. The Austrian side was knocked out of Europa League by Villarreal.
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Karim Adeyemi will be the key man for Salzburg during this tie. The German forward has been linked with a move to Bavaria, but it does look like Dortmund will win the race for him. He has been scoring goals for fun this season, so Rekordmeister will have to keep a close eye on him to collect clean sheets in these games.
On paper, Die Roten got a kinder fixture in the second draw. However, games are not won on paper. The history of the Champions League has been filled with many upsets, which gives belief to teams such as RB Salzburg. It is set to be an exciting couple of games between two entertaining sides.