FC Bayern is facing a pivotal Champions League match. On Tuesday evening, the Munich team will play away at Atlético Madrid, hoping to finally secure a win again after two recent draws in the Champions League. Lothar Matthäus, Germany’s all-time leading international, believes the German record champions are already under considerable pressure.
The situation is complicated. After dropping points against Viking Stavanger and Arsenal, Bayern can hardly afford any more slip-ups in the race for a spot among the top eight teams in the group stage. Added to this is the tight roster situation, with numerous key players sidelined by injury.
For Matthäus, however, it’s clear that the match in Madrid would be an enormous challenge even with the best possible lineup. In his Sky column, the 65-year-old highlighted in particular the Spaniards’ home-field advantage and the special significance of the game.
Matthäus: Bayern is under enormous pressure
“Bayern will always have eleven outstanding players on the field,” emphasized the 1990 World Cup champion.
Nevertheless, he said, the task against Atlético should by no means be underestimated. Diego Simeone’s team, he noted, is an extremely tough opponent, especially in front of its home crowd.
Matthäus sees the venue as an additional source of motivation. Atlético Madrid’s stadium will host the Champions League final next year.
For the Spaniards, the match against FC Bayern is therefore likely to hold special significance. Simeone’s team will do everything in its power to keep the three points in Madrid.
But according to the Sky expert, the Munich team can’t afford another setback either.
Matthäus believes both teams are under pressure in the race for direct qualification to the Round of 16.
“The two points lost in Norway could end up hurting a lot.”
In particular, the points dropped so far could cause Bayern problems as the league season progresses.
If Munich fails to beat Atlético as well, their position in the race for the top eight would deteriorate significantly.
Matthäus therefore believes Bayern are “almost doomed to win.”
To make matters worse, the German record champions still have another challenging task ahead of them: an away game in Manchester.
Above all, the 3-3 draw at Viking Stavanger could prove particularly frustrating in hindsight. Bayern dropped two crucial points there, which could be sorely missed in the tight race for direct qualification to the Round of 16. “Those two lost points in Norway could end up hurting us badly,” Matthäus warned.
A win would improve their standing in the standings and send an important message at the same time. Another draw—or even a loss—could, on the other hand, significantly increase the pressure ahead of the remaining matches.
In any case, Matthäus expects an extremely difficult match—regardless of which players are available to Bayern on Tuesday evening.