Bayern take on Villarreal in the Champions League quarter finals

(Football news) Bayern take on Villarreal in the Champions League quarter finals as the side from Spain will be looking to cause one more upset. On the other hand Bayern will be confident of progressing into the semifinals, especially after their resounding victory against Freiburg over the weekend to strengthen their grip at the top of the Bundesliga standings. 

Unai Emery's men produced a phenomenal performance against Juventus to book their spot in the last eight, while the Bavarians ultimately ran out comfortable winners over Red Bull Salzburg after a resounding victory in the second leg. After the magical night in Turin, Villarreal have failed to keep the momentum going following as they lost 1-0  to Cadiz and then went to get beaten in a dismal 2-0 defeat to Levante this weekend. With their La Liga top-six destiny now out of their own hands they will hope for better results in the UCL as they continue as underdogs in the Champions League. They have previously been in the quarterfinal once where they got knocked out by Arsenal in 2008-09. As disappointing as their recent run on the road has been, barring the 3-0 win at Juve, Villarreal still enter the contest with an unbeaten streak nine-games on home soil, with Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid also failing to win at the  Estadio de la Ceramica.

Bayern will enter this contest after a 4-1 demolition of Freiburg over the weekend to open up a 11 point lead over Dortmund in the league. The Bavarians have gone eight games unbeaten in all competitions this season in the Champions League and Bayern since September 2017 have never suffered defeat away from home in the Champions League. Bayern and Villarreal met for the very first time in the group stage of the 2011-12 Champions League, with the reigning Bundesliga champions securing a 2-0 win away from home before a 3-1 success at the Allianz Arena as they went onto collecting their runners-up medals that season. Robert Lewandowski will again be the key in this fixture as he has got 12 goals already this season and has Ronaldo’s record of 17 goals in sight to become the highest goalscorer in a single UCL season.

For Bayern, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is out due being COVID-positive as they lost Corentin Tolisso to injury just 23 minutes after he came on as a substitute against Freiburg, and he is reportedly set for several weeks on the sidelines with that torn thigh muscle. Alphonso Davies has announced that he intends to make his comeback from myocarditis over the weekend as the UCL fixture may be too soon for him. For Villarreal, Alberto Moreno is out due to his ruptured cruciate ligament, while Boulaye Dia and Samuel Chukwueze are both fitness doubts for the first leg 

Also read: City secure slender lead in first leg win over Atletico Madrid
 

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