Champions League Preview: Chelsea-Bayern
4/5/2005 11:18:00 AM
Felix Magath returns to Stamford Bridge with his Bayern Munich side for the Champions’ League quarter-final with Chelsea on Wednesday evening having lost there with VfB Stuttgart in the second round last season.
BACKGROUND
The first-leg in London pairs the Premiership champions-elect with the Bundesliga leaders, and offers Magath an opportunity to exact revenge for last season’s Stuttgart defeat and complete a notable London double.
Bayern eased past Arsenal in the previous round having finished behind Juventus and ahead of Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the group stage of this season’s competition. That the victory over the Gunners was achieved without Michael Ballack for one leg and Roy Makaay for the other speaks volumes for the squad Magath has assembled with the help of predecessor Ottmar Hitzfeld. However, given the hamstring injury sustained by Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro against Wolfsburg on Saturday, it’s clear that Magath will again have to shuffle his enviable pack to produce the ace that will ensure a sold-out Münchner Olympiastadion next Tuesday.
The Germans’ record on English soil is formidable. The irrelevant second-leg reverse at Highbury last month was only the Bavarians’ second defeat in England in 20 years since Everton’s 3-1 Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final win in 1985. In all, Bayern have played 12 times in England, winning twice, drawing seven times, and losing on just three ocassions. At home, they have lost just once to English opposition, famously to Norwich City in 1994. History suggests that if Magath’s side keeps it tight in London, they are likely to prevail in Germany. However, the apparently limitless resources of Roman Abramovich could prove even more significant than historical precedent.
Hilariously, the Bayern hierarchy have been keen to play poverty-stricken paupers in comparison to Chelsea’s megabucks. Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and Franz Beckenbauer make a legitimate point about Chelsea’s wealth, but they’re fooling nobody if they think they’re going to elicit our sympathy. For here is a club that has hoovered up the best Bundesliga talent over the years, took Torsten Frings from Borussia Dortmund, Lucio, Ze Roberto, and Michael Ballack from Bayer Leverkusen, and Sebastian Deisler from Hertha BSC, and have profited on the backs of the financial disarray of over-stretched rivals. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but at the level Bayern operate, money is not an excuse for failure against any side.
Chelsea come into the game with their domestic title effectively sewn up, the League Cup in the bag, and sky-high expectations (No pun intended) after their dramatic win over Barcelona in the previous round. Yet, for all of that, the Catalans’ inability to defend is not shared by the Bavarians, and a truer test of the Londoners’ credentials will be administered here. Furthermore, with coach Jose Mourinho in the stands after his intemperate remarks at Camp Nou, Chelsea’s preparations and communications have been disrupted. The club’s failure to challenge the touchline ban has infuriated Mourinho who has spoken of his "isolation" at Stamford Bridge to Portuguese media outlets. Indeed, there is even dark talk of the coach considering his future over the lack of club support. Could it be that shadowy figures in the club hierarchy resent such a flamboyant, charismatic character hogging the limelight at the hour of their greatest success? Cry as they might, they have only themselves to blame. The nouveau riche need lessons in etiquette if they wish to sit at the European top table.
TEAM NEWS
Arjen Robben misses the game through injury and is joined on the sidelines by the suspended Mateja Kezman. Chelsea also lost defender Paolo Ferreira at the weekend, though that will be tempered by the Pizarro injury. Finnish striker Mikael Forsell, a man with experience of the German game having spent some time on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach, remains an option for the Blues. Mourinho praised the striker this week, saying: "Mikael will be on the bench. We don’t have Robben, who is injured, and Kezman is suspended. We need strikers for the game and his work is absolutely fantastic." Such open confidence in his players has endeared the charismatic Portuguese to his mercenary squad, and provoked a series of excellent and consistent displays this season.
Magath has a different approach at Bayern, setting targets for his players, though comforting them in their times of need too. He also has a different set of selection issues for this game. Roy Makaay is in a race against time to make the game, struggling with a thigh strain, while Peruvian Paolo Guerrero is set to start in place of fellow countryman Pizarro. Nevertheless, the Dutchman is confident of making the game, telling the press: "Coming off against Wolfsburg was purely a precautionary measure. We were leading 3-0, we had Claudio Pizarro injured and there was no need to go on risking me." However, if Makaay misses out, Mehmet Scholl may start in midfield in a formation that contains just Guerrero up front.
PROBABLE TEAMS
Chelsea: Cech; G. Johnson, Ricardo Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; J. Cole, Lampard, Duff; Drogba, Gudjohnsen.
Bayern: Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, R. Kovac, Lizarazu; Deisler, Frings, Ballack, Schweinsteiger; Makaay, Guerrero.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
At this level, games are often won and lost in goal. Petr Cech’s remarkable goal line save in the previous round against Barcelona proved crucial in the Londoner’s exciting victory. Rated by many as the Premiership’s top goalkeeper, the Czech international has been protected by the league’s meanest defence but has shone when called upon. While his progress and potential are undeniable, he does have a tendency to come for balls he cannot reach, and this judgement flaw must be rectified before he can truly claim to be among the best in Europe.
Oliver Kahn (Bayern)
At his best, the Bayern skipper still sets the standard for all others to follow, and he has shown enough since the winter break to suggest that he has a season or two at the highest level yet before giving way to the new generation. Nevertheless, occasional mistakes are viewed as proof of his decline, so the three-time World Goalkeeper of the Year knows that anything high-profile now would damage his chances of holding the German number one shirt at the World Cup finals. Having overcome Arsenal in the last round, the feeling in Germany is that Kahn has seen Jens Lehmann off over the last few months thanks to a mixture of goalkeeping excellence and admirable attitude. If Bayern are to progress, much will depend on Kahn.
PREDICTION
Chelsea give little away, but Bayern are a class above anything they face in England. The pressure is very much on the home side to live up to onerous expectations, while the Bavarians have already achieved their Champions’ League target for the season. An inability to score at Highbury worried some, but the absence of Roy Makaay and the psychological state of the tie contributed to what was essentially a protection act. Michael Ballack is likely to be seen in more advanced positions at Stamford Bridge as Bayern chase a crucial away goal. Nevertheless, Bayern’s away form has been shaky at times this season, though the win at Wolfsburg on Saturday is a timely boost. 2-1 Chelsea.
i hope chelsea loose
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