The Champions League brought back the feeling fans have missed over the past few months as the elite European competition made a return on screens on Friday, 7th of August 2020.
We saw two games on the night as both Lyon and Manchester City progressed to the quarter-final stage of the competition while Juventus and Real Madrid, both League champions in Italy and Spain respectively, were thrown out of the competition.
Lyon lost to Juventus 2-1 but edged out the tie on away goals while it was a repeat of what happened in Spain in the City vs Real game. Horrific defending cost the Spanish champions at the Etihad as they also lost by 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) to exit the competition.
Related: Final 8th format for Champions League and Europa League competitions
We move to the final qualifying round before the new format, one-legged knockout games at a neutral venue kick start, as Bayern Munich looks to consolidate on their 3-0 advantage over Chelsea in Germany tonight.
The German champions look more likely to qualify but we have seen teams overturn a tie before in the Champions League.
Team news
Bayern Munich team news
Bayern boss, Hansi Flick, would look to select either Ivan Perisic or Philippe Coutinho to replace Coman as the 24-year-old France winger looks to miss the tie due to a muscle injury, and missed training on Friday. Bayern boasts of a 3-0 lead from the first leg at Stamford Bridge back in March.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea will be without the likes of Christian Pulisic, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Pedro after all three players picked up injuries in last weekend’s FA Cup final loss to Arsenal.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Billy Gilmour are also out due to injuries and haven’t made the trip while Marcos Alonso and Jorginho won’t feature due to suspensions they suffered from previous games.
Chelsea’s boss, Frank Lampard, also has fitness concerns over Willian and N’Golo Kante and he must also make a decision as to who to start in goal, with Kepa Arrizabalaga having been dropped in recent matches.
Stats and facts going into the match (Backed by Opta)
- Bayern Munich have only hosted Chelsea once previously for a competitive match, winning 3-2 in April 2005 in the Champions League, with current Chelsea manager Frank Lampard scoring the opening goal for the Blues.
- Chelsea and Bayern Munich last faced in the Allianz Arena in the 2012 Champions League final, with the Blues victorious on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
- In the entire history of the European Cup and Champions League, no team has ever won by three or more goals in the first leg of a knockout match away from home and failed to progress, going through on all 92 previous occasions.
- Chelsea are winless in their last seven away Champions League matches in the knockout stages (D4 L3) since a 1-0 win at Benfica in March 2012 in the quarter-final.
- Chelsea have only scored three goals in an away Champions League knockout match once previously, winning 3-1 at Liverpool in April 2009; Bayern have only conceded three times in three of their 43 home Champions League knockout games, though did so most recently in a 1-3 defeat to Liverpool in March 2019.
- Bayern have won their first seven Champions League games this season, scoring 27 goals and conceding just five. Only one team has ever won their first eight matches of a campaign, with Barcelona winning their first nine in 2002-03 across the two group stages, before going out in the quarter-final.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 3 – 1 Chelsea
Setien confident not securing qualification would not determine his future as Barcelona’s head coach
Quique Setien says “at no point” has he considered his final match in charge of the Catalans could be the Champions League second leg with Napoli.
The Barcelona boss was appointed in January but doubts over his future emerged after Real Madrid won the La Liga title.
“We have prepared thinking me and my coaching staff are going to continue. At no point has the thought that tomorrow could be my last game passed through my head,” Setien says.
Barca have not been shown the exit at the last 16 stage since 2007, and their quest for a first Champions League title since 2015 prompted the sacking Ernesto Valverde earlier this year.
Napoli boss, Gennaro Gattuso, hopes to guide his side into the last eight for the first time.
“We certainly want to write an important page in our history,” says Gattuso. “We know if we want to compete against Barcelona we will have to take risks. I can mark Messi only in my dreams, or on my son’s PlayStation.”
Team news
Barcelona team news
Samuel Umtiti misses out due to a knee injury, while midfielder duo Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal serve suspensions for the Catalans.
Ousmane Dembele has started training but would not feature in this tie but Antoine Griezmann, Clement Lenglet, and Frenkie de Jong are all available after overcoming recent injuries and Ivan Rakitic may start as well.
Napoli team news
Napoli would be without center-backs Kostas Manolas and Nikola Maksimovic due to rib and knee injuries respectively. The visitors expect key striker Lorenzo Insigne to feature after the forward recovered from the thigh injury he sustained against Lazio last weekend.
Stats and facts going into the match (Backed by Opta)
- Barcelona are set to host Napoli for the first time in a competitive match. The last team to win their first away Champions League game at Camp Nou was Rubin Kazan in October 2009 (2-1).
- Napoli’s two previous away Champions League knockout matches have ended in defeat, losing 1-4 to Chelsea in March 2012 and 1-3 to Real Madrid in February 2017.
- Barcelona have progressed from each of their last 19 Champions League knockout ties after avoiding defeat in the first leg away from home, only failing to progress once, going out to Juventus in the 2002-03 quarter-final (1-1 first leg, 1-2 second leg).
- Napoli have won just one of their last 10 away Champions League games (D4 L5), winning 3-2 at Red Bull Salzburg in October 2019. However, they are unbeaten in all three away games this season (W1 D2).
- Barcelona’s run of 35 home Champions League games without defeat (W31 D4) is the second-longest in the history of the European Cup/Champions League, behind Bayern Munich’s 43-game run between 1969 and 1991.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-1 Napoli
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