SAM INGRAM (@SamIngram_) previews Tuesday night's Champions League last-16 second leg showdown between Bayern Munich and RB Salzburg
Bayern Munich vs RB Salzburg | Tuesday 8th March, 20:00 | BT Sport
Forcing an early lead and keeping Bayern Munich at bay for 90-minutes wasn’t a happy coincidence. It was no fluke.
Austria’s best have proved time and time again that they deserve to rub shoulders with Europe’s elite. Chukwubuike Adams’ 21st-minute opener wasn’t enough to silence Bayern entirely in the first leg. RB Salzburg fought valiantly but ultimately fell just short of taking a clean sheet to Germany.
Despite the one-sided possession statistics (28%-72%) born out of Bayern chasing the game, RB Salzburg had their chances. The six shots on target were enough to warn Bayern that this was a team capable of engineering efficient positions around the 18-yard box.
You wouldn’t be alone in thinking a similar theme may rear its head in the deciding leg. RB Salzburg arrives and put in a noteworthy performance, yet Bayern Munich flexes their muscles and clinches a result.
However, RB Salzburg’s preparation for this game has been nothing short of catastrophic. Thirty-two Covid-19 cases have ravaged the club, including 17 playing staff contracting the virus. The infections unknowingly spread just two weeks before the Allianz Arena beckoned.
On the back of the widespread illness within the club, RB Salzburg travelled to LASK. It proved tough, as the virus still had a hold on the players. Up against a team Salzburg had dispatched on ten occasions back to back previously, a 0-0 scoreline was as much as they could offer. LASK worked 12 attempts on their opponent's goal with nine in reply – not quite a vintage RB Salzburg showing.
The trip to LASK was followed by a 4-0 routine win against SCR Altach at the weekend. Given the visitors’ position at the bottom of the table, it’s difficult to gauge where RB Salzburg are at.
To have a chance of harnessing a positive result in Munich, the stars would need to align in all areas. Unfortunately for the talent factory in Austria, lady luck just isn’t on their side.
RB Salzburg should find hobbling collectively into Bayern’s backyard extremely difficult. The 1.18 for a home win on bet365 backs up such a theory, suggesting RB Salzburg could be in for a long night.
In an attempt to side with the guesswork that Bayern will dominate, but find a suitable price, I’ve dusted off William Hill's ‘Build Your Odds' bet builder.
Bayern HT/FT and Bayern to score Over 0.5 goals in either half serves up a 2.00 price certainly worth consideration. It could be one-way traffic here, and if that comes to fruition, the Evens shout has legs.
The Bavarian giants should start the game quickly and look to get the visitors on the back foot. Julian Nagelsmann will be fully aware that RB Salzburg may not be at the races and will aim to capitalise early. In Germany’s top-tier, Bayern have hit 35 first-half goals in 24 appearances this season, producing an average of 1.46 scored in the first half of each game.
If Bayern comes flying out of the blocks against an RB Salzburg side less than prepared mentally and physically, goals are likely come early. Visiting bet365 with an Asian goal line piquing interest, the 1.975 available for over 1.5 in the first half presents an interesting way into the second leg.
Best Bets
Bayern Munich vs RB Salzburg – Over 1.5 Asian First-Half Goals (9/10 Bet365)
Bayern Munich vs RB Salzburg – Bayern Munich HT-FT and Bayern Munich to Score In Both Halves (1/1 William Hill)
