Bayern Munich vs Benfica for Champions League 2016 Quarterfinals: Bavarian Team to Destroy Portuguese Competition
Bayern Munich and Benfica will start off their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday at the Allianz Arena at 3:45 p.m EST.
For many, the game seems like a foregone conclusion with Bayern Munich as the runaway favorite to win the tie and advance to the semifinals for the fifth straight season.
Munich has had a rather easy road to the quarterfinals, taking down every team in its group en route to 15 of 18 points in the group round. The team scored a whopping 19 goals and only conceded three in that round robin tournament, tying Real Madrid for the best goal differential in the group stage. The lone blemish for Bayern Munich was a 2-0 loss against Arsenal in London. That game aside, Bayern's only other goal conceded in the first round of play came against Arsenal as well in a 5-1 win at the Allianz Arena.
The round of 16 proved far more challenging for the Bavarian side. Munich blew a 2-0 lead in the opener against Juventus, giving the Italian side hope of living another day. That hope was transformed into seeming destiny when the Old Lady took at 2-0 lead at the start of the second leg in Munich. The German side fought back, tied the game and then won it in extra time with a couple of goals. The aggregate score of 6-4 was far from the expectation for a Munich side that was seen as a heavy favorite.
Benfica should not pose as many issues for Pep Guardiola's team with the Portuguese side finishing second in its group and then grinding out a result in the round of 16. The team won three of six in the group stage, tying one and losing two. It finished behind Atletico Madrid.
Benfica won 1-0 at home in the first leg against Zenit St. Petersburg before delivering a crushing 2-1 win away to the Russian side.
This is the second straight year that Munich faces a Portuguese side in the quarterfinals. A year ago the team was humbled 3-1 at Porto before striking back with a potent 6-1 win on its own homefield.
Prediction: Bayern Munich comes out with a vengeance and puts together a 5-0 win at home in order to avoid any controversy that followed its round of 16 performance.