Tottenham vs Bayern Munich: Champions League Preview & Prediction

The Bavarian Giants, Bayern Munich take on last year's finalist, Tottenham in a crucial Group B clash in the Champions League.

The German champions are one of the Europeans behemoths and are always considered one of the prime contenders for the Champions League trophy. They are a five-time winner of this prestigious competition.

Whereas, Spurs reached the final for the first time in their history. They have outrageous talents in their ranks who are capable of turning the tide of the match in a whisker and Die Roten will have to be aware of that.

Bayern have started the season amazingly well. They sit top of the table and are yet to taste defeat. Whereas, the north London club have not had the best of starts. They started off well with a win but lost their way along the way. They sit sixth on the table and are 10 points below league leaders already.

Spurs were held to a 2-2 draw at Olympiacos in the first match. They need to come up with a point at least in this fixture to keep them in good stead to finish the group on top and thus avoid the big guns in the next round. Bayern, however, have failed to win just one of their last ten Champions League matches and will be looking to seal their passage to the knockout round as soon as possible.

Team News

For Spurs, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon are out of this clash due to injury concerns. There are no long term absentees and Mauricio Pochettino will have a full squad to choose from. The change in personnel will depend on the formation the Argentine wants to play. Ben Davies can start at left-back.

For the German Champions, Leon Goretzka is a long term absentee. Lucas Hernandez and Ivan Perisic are doubtful starters.

Key Battles

Harry Kane vs Niklas Sule

The English captain has been a proven goalscorer for club and country. He is capable of scoring with both feet and possess a booming header. 

He has been in decent form this season. He has found the net five times and also recorded an assist. He takes 3.3 shots per game, and given his quality, he is bound to score if given this many opportunities in front of his home crowd.

The former Hoffenheim defender has come leaps and bounds since signing for Bayern Munich. He has a massive frame and stands a whopping 6 ft 5 in tall. This helps him in handling the aerial threat well. His pass completion rate of 90.1% is hugely beneficial.

Even Virgil Van Dijk has heaped praise on the young defender billed him to be a future star. He has done justice to his reputation this season as he averages three clearances per game, accompanied with 1.3 tackles per game. 

It will be an intriguing battle between two very talented individuals. Sule will try to sniff out any danger that comes near Bayern’s penalty area and make sure Kane don’t have a sight of goal.'The HurriKane’ as he is known, do not need many chances to score and it will be upon Sule to not let this happen.

Jan Vertonghen vs Robert Lewandowski

The veteran Tottenham defender is an excellent reader of the game. He is calm and composed under pressure and never seemed perturbed by any opposition and stage.

Vertonghen is the mainstay of this Spurs side and is keeping out an exciting defender, Davinson Sanchez out of the eleven. He has been in excellent form this season and averages 4.8 clearances per game, accompanied with 1.3 interceptions per game.

The former Ajax defender has his task cut out as he will be up against the hottest striker in the world right now. Lewandowski is now the fastest to reach 10 Bundesliga goals, a feat which he achieved  in just six games. The Polish ace has been in a red hot form and has now scored in eight consecutive games in all competitions. 

Plenty of defenders have tried and failed in their attempt to curtail this goal scoring menace. But Vertonghen is not your run of the mill defender. He would be really difficult to get away with and Lewandowski is going to have a hard time. If the former Ajax man have a good game, it wouldn’t be surprising if Spurs get away with three crucial points.

Prediction

The Die Roten have made some shrewd signings in the transfer window. They brought proven performers such as Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic to fill the massive boots left behind by some club greats. The Bavarians look strong and up to the task. Form is also on their side as they have failed to win just one of their past six matches.

Whereas, the London based club is not having a great season till now. They are giving away two goals leads, which would bite them against such a high quality opposition. But this match comes way too soon for a club who is yet to reach their heights.

Score Prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Bayern Munich