Manchester United surprisingly held its own against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, earning a draw with the reigning champions. Could the English side shock Bayern on its home field?
Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich Second Leg 2014 Betting Preview
When: Wednesday, April 9, 2014, 2:45 PM ET
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Betting on Manchester United
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Manchester United overcame the absence of top scorer Robin Van Persie (injury) and held the defending European champions to a draw, 1-1, at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Before the match, Bayern Munich had scored at least two goals in each of its last four games but Manchester United found a way to disrupt the potent attacks of the Germans. With the victory, Manchester United improved to 4-2 in the tournament.
Despite ceding a whopping 74% of the possession time in the game to Bayern, Man U held its own and even scored first, as defender Nemanja Vidic headed in the games first marker 58 minutes into the match.
In the second leg of this match-up, Manchester will need to maintain its tenacity on defense to compensate for the hole on offense left by Van Persie. Wayne Rooney (2 goals in UCL), Danny Welbeck, and Nani will lead the charge, but with so little of the play being carried by the English club, the chances will be few and far between.
According to Infostrada, history offers an exciting precedent for Manchester United. 74.5% of away teams have made it to the next round after recording a draw in the first leg.
Betting on Bayern Munich
Bayern heads back home with more than a few worries. In addition to being forced to settle with a draw in a game they dominated, they will now try to improve that result at home without the services of Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Schweinsteiger, who scored the game-tying goal in the first leg, was issued his second yellow card on a feather-light tackle on Wayne Rooney, thus making him unavailable for the April 9 match-up. Even without Schweinsteiger (three goals in the UCL), Bayern Munich boasts of a superior offense with the likes of Thomas Müller, Arjen Robben, and Franck Ribéry each netting at least three goals in the tournament. The Germans average 2.83 goals per game.
Bayern Munich has lost once in three games at home field during the tournament. In the German Bundesliga, the Bavarians 25-3 record and have won seven games by four goals or more.
Prediction
Don’t get too high on Manchester after drawing with the defending champs. The Bavarians are returning home with an away goal, which means they already have an advantage. Look for Bayern Munich to restore normality in the second leg with a two-point win in the game and on aggregate.
