UEFA Champions League – Match Preview: F.C Basel versus Bayern Munich
Basel are all prepared to host the German league champions, Bayern Munich in their second group stage match of the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League. This match will be a crucial one for both the sides as they will be looking to win
this encounter and give themselves a good chance of progressing to the round of sixteen of the UEFA Champions League. With five more matches to go for both the teams in the UEFA Champions League, including this one, the situation at hand is quite a strange
one as both the teams can afford to slip up as well.
Bayern Munich have been woeful in their domestic league so far in the new club football season, however their performances in Europe have been immaculate. Last season, the German giants progressed till the final match of the tournament
where they were beaten by a Jose Mourinho led Inter Milan. This season Louis Van Gaal’s men seemed to be fired up for European competitions as Bayern bid to make it to the final again. With the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller in their line
up, one cannot argue that Bayern Munich are certainly a force to be reckoned with. Nonetheless, some experts have pointed out that Bayern’s squad has been involved in continuously top level football since the past year and that too without a sufficient break.
Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Klose, Kroos and Mueller all featured at the 2010 FIFA World Cup for Germany as the Bavarian nation made it to the semi-finals of the tournament. Since then, all of these starlets have been in action for Bayern
Munich either in friendly matches or since the start of the season in competitive ones. In last season’s UEFA Champions League, Bayern Munich famously disposed of Manchester United at the quarter final stage of the tournament; regardless the German giants
are taking nothing for granted this season as they defeated Roma in their first match of the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Topping their group at the moment, Bayern are also outright favourites to proceed to the next stage of the competition bar any surprises in the next five matches of the group stages. Out of their last five matches, Bayern have won
two, drawn two and lost only one. On the other side, Basel line up with a hope that they will get an unlikely result against Bayern Munich. The Swiss giants have been on a high as they have had a fine start to their new Swiss league campaign. In their last
match in the Swiss Super League, Basel shipped four goals past F.C Zurich to cement their spot in the top half of the league table.
Basel’s biggest win this season came against their rivals F.C Mendrisio Stabio, in a match where Basel’s attack was on top form as they scored five goals without even conceding a reply. It was an emphatic win for the Swiss giants
but as far as the UEFA Champions League is concerned, F.C Basel have been extremely. Poor lacking sufficient quality and squad depth to compete against the real powerhouses of European football, Basel have almost no history of success in European competitions.
In their first match of the UEFA Champions’ League group stages, Basel ended up as second best to CFR Cluj as the Romanian club won the match by two goals to one. Basel will be dependent on their star striker Alexander Frei to fire
them through to a win or a draw against Bayer, while Munich will be banking on Ivica Olic and Miroslav Klose to get the goals for them. If Bayern do win this match, their points tally will rise up to six points, whereas for Basel losing this match will virtually
end their chances of progression to the next round of the tournament.
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