A win against Viktoria Plzeň on Tuesday night (from 18:45 CEST coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app with our live text and free webradio) would take FC Bayern a lot closer to the knockout rounds in the Champions League. Here's all you need to know on the clash with the Czech champions:
Here are the best photos from the day before the clash with Plzeň:
Situation for Bayern
Bayern emerged well from the international break with an impressive performance in the 4-0 win against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Friday night and the Reds are back on track in the race for top spot in the Bundesliga – but not there yet. "It's about showing that attitude game by game. Then I'll be very optimistic," declared CEO Oliver Kahn who, like captain Manuel Neuer, also has one eye on the tricky fixtures coming up. "We want to carry on like that against Plzeň and try to gain even more confidence to go to Dortmund feeling good," said the FCB keeper. FCB have to play the Bundesliga runners-up four days after the clash with the Czech champions.
The team under Julian Nagelsmann probably do not lack confidence in the Champions League with six points from the first two matches: "I'm expecting a top performance, a very motivated performance. We want to continue what the players were doing very well against Leverkusen including concentration in front of the opposition goal," demanded the 35-year-old head coach: "We have to keep on picking up points. It's extremely important for the Champions League to win the game against Plzeň – and also to maintain the rhythm for the Dortmund game."
Here are the key stats ahead of the clash with the Czechs:
The opposition Viktoria Plzeň
Victoria Plzeň are probably the underdogs in Champions League Group C. The team under Micha Bílek was unable to spring a surprise in the first two matches at Barcelona (1-5) and at home to Inter Milan (0-2) – but that is no reason to underestimate the Czech champions: "They are a team that can play football but also play long balls," warned coach Nagelsmann: Plzeň have "a lot of physically strong players on the pitch who can shield and distribute the ball well. We have to be well prepared for the second ball." The reigning champions are on course back home in the Fortuna Liga. Although they only drew 1-1 at Bohemians Prague at the weekend, Plzeň are top (on 23 points) and have one more than Slavia Prague (22) having played one game less.
We took a closer look at the Czech champions:
Team news for FC Bayern vs. Viktoria Plzeň
In addition to long-term injuries Bouna Sarr (knee), Lucas Hernández (torn muscle in left groin), Nagelsmann will have to compensate for the sudden loss of Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller (coronavirus infection). Kingsley Coman returned to full training on Monday after recovering from a muscle injury. "He feels good and has no problems," confirmed Nagelsmann. Nevertheless, the Frenchman is "still not an option" for the squad on Tuesday.
The opponents Plzeň travelled to the Bavarian state capital with a 20-man squad. The Czech international and left winger Jan Sýkora (knee injury) did not travel like midfielder Jan Bucha, who was sent off in the 2-0 defeat against Inter Milan on the last matchday. There is also a question mark over keeper Jindřich Staněk due to a shoulder problem.
What the coaches say
Julian Nagelsmann: "I expect Plzeň to defend very deep. They often play on the break in the league. They have two physically strong target men up front. They work a lot with early crosses, a similar idea to Augsburg in attack, which is not always easy to defend against. We try to perform to our best in the Champions League but also, of course, for the forthcoming challenges in the Bundesliga.
Michal Bílek (coach, FC Viktoria Plzeň): "Bayern haven't won a couple of times in the Bundesliga but all the games were similar: Bayern had lots of chances, they had bad luck and the opposition keeper had a good day. All the teams who picked up a point against Bayern in the league were lucky. It's a massive club and it's a great honour and experience for us to be able to play here. We are all looking forward to it as we don't play teams like that often. The players are full of enthusiasm and that's the way it should be."
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