Bayern Munich and Inter Milan must both overturn 1-0 first-leg defeats in the Champions League on Tuesday but should not be dismissed on home soil on what promises to be another night of European drama.
Bayern Munich v FC Basel
Bayern Munich bounced back domestically when demolishing Hoffenheim 7-1 on Saturday and their impressive home record in Europe makes them difficult to oppose (Bayern Munich 1/2, FC Basel 6/4 – To Qualify).
The Bavarians have built up an impressive run of 11 wins in 12 Champions League matches at the Allianz Arena and also have a 100 per cent home record in three games against Swiss visitors.
True, they were dealt a shock when Valentin Stocker’s 86th-minute goal at St. Jakob-Park condemned them to a 1-0 first-leg defeat, but club officials have already stressed there can be no more excuses (Bayern 1/5, draw 9/2, FC Basel 9/1 – 90 Minutes).
“That will give us a boost. I am confident the squad has that hunger again,” said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes after the Hoffenheim rout. “That was important for Tuesday.”
Another incentive for the Bundesliga giants is the fact that Munich will host the Champions League final on May 19.
“Basel is a very important game for the way the rest of the season will run. We have to do that again against Basel,” Munich president Uli Hoeness told German television channel ZDF.
Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez (5/2 – First Goalscorer) and Jerome Boateng are all nursing knocks but are expected to play, while Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger came on for the final 20 minutes against Hoffenheim – over a month after he tore ankle ligaments.
Basel should not be dismissed given that they were undefeated on their travels in the group stage, holding Manchester United and Benfica and beating FC Otelul Galati – but their record in Germany is less encouraging, with one win, two draws and three defeats.
The return leg offers Basel livewire Xherdan Shaqiri (10/3 – Anytime Scorer), who has signed a pre-contract agreement with Bayern, the chance to showcase his talents in front of his future employers.
Inter Milan v Marseille
Inter Milan ended a run of nine games without a win in all competitions with a 2-0 victory against Chievo in Verona on Friday and can edge what should be a close encounter against Didier Deschamps’ strugglers (Inter Milan evens, draw 9/4, Marseille 9/4 – 90 Minutes).
The Nerazzurri have already beaten French opposition at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza this season, prevailing 2-1 against Lille on match day four, and their overall home record against Ligue 1 clubs is W5 D3 L3.
Friday’s win reduced under-pressure coach Claudio Ranieri to tears and Inter will be expected to progress in front of their home fans – but must recover from Andre Ayew’s injury-time header in France on February 22.
Diego Milito (3/2 – Anytime Scorer), who scored in stoppage-time, has urged his team-mates to use the Chievo win as a catalyst for an end-of-season flourish and they can draw comfort from winning over half – 15 out of 28 – of Uefa competition ties in which they lost the first leg away from home.
He told Sky Sports Italia: “Tuesday’s match is massive and we’re desperate to do well. And we’d then have everything to play for – this team has already shown it’s capable of going all the way.”
Marseille’s form has nosedived since beating Inter at Stade Velodrome and they have not scored in four Ligue 1 defeats since their first-leg success.
Deschamps was unbeaten against the Nerazzurri as a player, but Marseille have not been further than the last 16 since lifting the trophy in 1993 and their current form means that statistic is likely to stay unchanged.
Tuesday’s recommendation is a Bayern Munich and Inter Milan ‘To Qualify’ double which pays better than 3/1.
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