Liverpool will face off against Bayern Munich tonight hoping to seal a passage through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. The Reds only managed to secure a 0-0 draw at Anfield versus the Bavarian giants in the first leg last month which has set up tonight’s match at the Allianz Arena perfectly for a grand showdown between two of the most in-form teams in Europe.
Jurgen Klopp will fancy his team’s chances of getting a result at Munich despite their dismal record away from home in the Champions League. The Merseyside club have lost their last five matches away from Anfield which is just not good enough for a club aspiring to win the competition this year. The Reds had suffered defeats against AS Roma in Rome and Real Madrid at Kiev in the Champions League final last season.
What will frighten Liverpool fans is the fact that their team has failed to turn their fortunes around as they have lost all three of their group stage away matches this season against Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade. Hence, Klopp will be expected to break the wretched run tonight as his team looks to avoid defeat at all costs to secure qualification into the next round.
Here are three changes Klopp can implement so that his players can get the job done against Bayern away from home.
Play Salah As A Centre-Forward Up Top
Mohamed Salah has looked dangerous in his past few outings, but he has still not managed to find the back of the net this month. Hence, Klopp should tweak his position tonight so that he gets the freedom to attack Bayern at every chance he gets. Salah has done well while playing as a centre-forward earlier this season so it could be a shrewd move for Liverpool if he can finally break his recent goal-barren run while operating as an out-and-out centre-forward tonight.
Use Shaqiri From The Bench If Required
The Swiss international has become Liverpool’s forgotten man as he has hardly featured for the club in recent weeks. Klopp has often started him on the bench but has not utilised him enough on the pitch. The Merseyside club’s fans are crying out to see more of Shaqiri on the field, especially when things are not working out for Liverpool in the attacking end of the pitch.
Hence, if the Reds need a goal in the second half, Klopp should look no further than Shaqiri as he can be a real game-changer as evidenced by his performance off the bench against Manchester United at Anfield earlier in this campaign.
Rotation Of Full-backs In Attack
Klopp might be tempted to go gung-ho from the start of this game, but that tactic might leave his team exposed at the back. Hence, it would be wise if the Liverpool boss instructs his full-backs to keep their shape in the back four so that Bayern cannot overload the Liverpool box on the counter. The smart move would be for one full-back to attack while the other mops up at the back just in case Bayern get a chance to launch a counter-attack.
