Bayern Munich has one foot in the quarterfinals of the Champions League as they took care of business at Besiktas in the first leg, claiming a 5-0 rout at home. Besiktas will be playing for pride in front of their home fans on March 14th, which means that Bayern will have to maintain their focus until they have the tie in hand.
What To Know About Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich got big games from their strikers as Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller both scored a pair of goals in their first-leg win. Kingsley Coman added a goal for Bayern Munich, who did play with a one-man advantage for about 75 minutes, but you have to be ruthless and they surely did to put the tie out of reach. Lewandowski now has five goals in the Champions League, but it was Muller who needed a good game and his two goals takes him to three for the competition now. Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world, but he does need help as the Champions League goes further and if Muller is playing well, Bayern Munich are going to be tough to beat. They need him even more as Coman, who has two goals in the Champions League, is out for several weeks with torn ligaments in his ankle. The winger underwent surgery and he could be back for the semifinals or the final. However, Bayern Munich has to get there first.
What To Know About Besiktas
Besiktas were always going to be in trouble once Domagoj Vida, as the last man, took down Lewandowski in the 16th minute. In fact, Besiktas might consider themselves lucky to get away with a 5-0 loss as Bayern Munich never took their foot off the gas. Besiktas managed six shots on goal, and only one on target while Bayern Munich had 35 shots and 12 on target. At least at home, Besiktas can throw caution to the wind and now that they don’t really have anything to lose, they might as well go for it. Whether or not that is a smart decision remains to be seen, but at this point, Besiktas don’t have much of a choice.
Outlook
Bayern Munich are favored on the road at -225, while Besiktas are rated at +550 and a draw comes in at +350. Bayern Munich has gone to Turkey once, winning 2-0 in the group stages of the 1997-98 Champions League. They shouldn’t have much of a problem in this leg as they can afford to play their best players for most of the game, at least. Bayern Munich are running away with the Bundesliga, so they can put out the likes of Lewandowski, Muller and Arjen Robben to contend with Besiktas. The home side will be looking to show some pride in front of their fans and they might even pull off a win in the match. However, winning the tie would itself would mean a Bayern Munich collapse like never before and that isn’t very likely for the Turkish team.
Champions League Betting Pick: Bayern
Looking for the latest odds on Champions League matches? Visit Play Shangri La to get all of the odds, including the betting lines to win it all.
