Bayern will be heading into this clash on the back of a 7-1 thumping of RB Salzburg in the last-16 second leg clash when Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick.
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It does not get any more difficult than facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The German powerhouse have been the team to fear in recent years, and they have consistently been regarded as a title contender over the last decade. Villarreal are the side assigned with the daunting task to stop the German giants’ juggernaut this season. It will undoubtedly not be easy, however, the Spanish side will go into the clash with a good amount of confidence having pulled off a major upset in the last round.Â
Villarreal defeated Juventus 4-1 on aggregate in the last-16 clash. Following the 1-1 draw in Spain in the first leg, the Italian giants were the favourites to go through in the next round of the competition. However, the Spanish side had other ideas, scoring three late goals to knock Juventus out of the competition. The emphatic victory in Turin will give them a massive amount of confidence going into the clash against Bayern. However, Unai Emery will know that the challenge they are set to face against the Germans will be far more superior.Â
Bayern will be heading into this clash on the back of a 7-1 thumping of RB Salzburg in the last-16 second leg clash when Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick. The Polish centre-forward is the top scorer in the competition with 12 goals. It goes without saying that Villarreal have a difficult task at hand to keep Lewandowski from scoring against them. The last time they met each other was in the group stage of the 2011-12 Champions League when Bayern won 2-0 in Spain before triumphing 3-1 at home.Â
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Long-term absentee Alberto Moreno will not be a part of the fixture, while Boulaye Dia and Samuel Chukwueze have question marks over their fitness ahead of Villarreal’s first leg clash. Either one or both of Arnaut Danjuma and Gerard Moreno will lead the line for the Spaniards. On the back of suffering a disappointing 2-0 La Liga defeat against Levante at the weekend, Emery could be tempted to make some changes for this fixture.
On the other hand, Corentin Tolisso will be out for the German giants after suffering an injury against Freiburg in Bundesliga at the weekend. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who is COVID-positive, is also suffering from a knee injury. Alphonso Davies could very well be unavailable for the first leg following his previously announced mild heart condition. Hence, head coach Julian Nagelsmann will most likely choose Lucas Hernandez as the left-back.
It is also not clear if centre-back Niklas Sule will be fit enough to start in the backline for the German side. Besides, one of Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman will have to settle for a place on the bench for the first-leg clash.
Villarreal possible line-up: Rulli, Aurier, Albiol, Torres, Estupinan, Chukwueze, Capoue, Parejo, Trigueros, Lo Celso, Moreno
Bayern Munich possible line-up: Neuer, Pavard, Sule, Upamecano, Hernandez, Kimmich, Goretzka, Coman, Muller, Sane, Lewandowski
The Champions League quarter-final first-leg fixture between Villarreal and Bayern Munich will take place at El Madrigal and it will kick-off at 12:30 am IST on Thursday, April 7.
The match will be live streamed on the SonyLIV app and website, and the JioTV mobile app. Meanwhile, football fans in India can also enjoy the action on TV networks, as the competition is telecast on the Sony Ten network.
