German Champions Bayern Munich will look to extend their good form when they meet Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday as the UEFA Champions League match day four gets underway.
The hosts will be looking for the three points as anything less than a win could see them on the brink of potentially going out of contention. The Eredivisie side have managed only one point so far in their three outings while second-placed Bayern have six and leaders Atletico have nine. Bayern will also look for the win as they aim to pip Atletico to the first spot in their group.
PSV are experiencing a mixed run of results recently. In the weekend, they defeated Vitesse Arnheim 2:0 thanks to a brace from Gaston Pereiro. The Uruguayan has been a star for PSV this season, scoring five goals in ten competitive matches. The Boeren are currently third in the Eredivisie table, five points off leaders Feyenoord.
Bayern, on the other hand, are coming on the back of some good form after a sloppy run of results. Die Roten have won all of their previous four matches all competitions in which they have scored 12 goals! Carlo Ancelotti’s side are leading the Bundesliga table with 23 points from nine games. However, Ancelotti should be worried by his side’s defensive complacency. They have failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their previous six games in all competitions, not a good stat if you’re tagged as ‘Champions League Favourites’.
While Polish forward Robert Lewandowski broke his slump after scoring a brace in the weekend’s 3:1 win over FC Augsburg, German International Thomas Muller is still suffering from lack of goals this season. The 27-year old is yet to score a goal in the Bundesliga thus far but two of his three goals this season arrived in the Champions League.
Team News
Spanish defender Javi Martinez had to be subbed off against Augsburg in the weekend due to a Hamstring injury he suffered during the game. When he’ll return is anyone’s guess. Franck Ribery is getting back to his full fitness but remains a doubt against PSV. Apart from these two players, head coach Carlo Ancelotti will have the luxury to pick from his fully fit Bayern squad.
As for PSV, the injury lists stays intact. Goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet picked off an injury and is in-development training along with forward Jürgen Locadia. Head coach Philipp Cocu will also miss the services of defender Jorrit Hendrix and Siem De Jong but good news is that Andres Guardado, who missed PSV’s previous meeting with Bayern away from home two weeks ago, will be fit to start. The Mexican International is no doubt a key figure in PSV’s lineup.
Predicted Lineups
PSV Eindhoven: (4-2-3-1 formation) Remko Pasveer; Santiago Arias, Daniel Schwaab, Hector Moreno, Jetro Willems; Andres Guardado, Davy Pröpper; Luciano Narsingh, Gaston Pereiro, Steven Bergwijn; Luuk De Jong
FC Bayern: (4-3-3 formation) Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, David Alaba; Arturo Vidal, Joshua Kimmich, Thiago Alcantara; Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski, Kingsley Coman.
Prediction: PSV 1:2 Bayern
