BAYERN MUNICH Vs FC ROSTOV
7:45 PM WAT
13/09/2016
7:45 PM WAT
13/09/2016
Bayern Munich host Russian side FC Rostov in the proverbial David vs. Goliath clash as Carlo Ancelotti takes charge of the Bavarians for the first time in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Italian maestro can make history by becoming the first trainer to win the Champions League (or European Cup in old money) with three different clubs.
Speaking at his first prematch news conference as Bayern's boss in the European elite, Ancelotti said: "The Champions League is a special competition for me."
Ancelotti has led both AC Milan and Real Madrid to glory in Europe's top club competition and will aim to outdo his predecessor Pep Guardiola, who exited three straight times to Spanish sides at the semifinal stage.
Winners in 2013, Bayern have reached at least the semifinals, five seasons in a row. And again, that has to be the minimum expectation this season for the German champions. Bayern steamrollered the opposition in all six home games in this competition last season, winning by an aggregate scoreline of 21-4. Interestingly, the Bavarians need just one more victory in Munich to shatter Manchester United's record of 12 Champions League home wins in a row.
Douglas Costa made his first appearance since the end of May, coming off the bench in Friday's hard-fought 2-0 Bundesliga win at Schalke 04. The Brazilian winger is set to start on Tuesday, but the game comes too soon for Jerome Boateng, Arjen Robben and Kingsley Coman who continue to work on their respective comeback bids in training.
Russian Premier League runners up last season, Rostov did manage to see off the challenge of Anderlecht and Ajax Amsterdam in qualifying for the group stages, but, in mild understatement, the trip to the Bavarian capital is a huge step up in class for the Russian side. Indeed, before this season's remarkable journey, Rostov had only played 10 European fixtures in their whole history -- two matches fewer than Bayern featured in last campaign alone.
While Rostov are very much an unknown quantity to Bayern's players, at least Ancelotti has some previous against the visitors based roughly 1100 kilometers south of Moscow. The 57-year-old met them in the 1999 Interhoneypot Cup semifinals, winning 9-1 over two legs while in charge of Juventus.
Although the five time European Champions against the competition newboys looks like a mismatch, the experienced Ancelotti warned against underestimating the Russian side: "The result against Amsterdam [5-2 winners on aggregate] speaks volumes. They work well together as a team, despite not boasting any real stars. Defending with five at times, they're strong at the back. They'll be very tough to break down."
Indeed, Rostov can boast the tightest defensive record in the Russian top flight last season, only conceding 20 goals in 30 games, so the visitors' might be able to keep the scoreline respectable and play damage limitation in Munich.
Having started their campaign with 15 victories (out of 19) and seeking their 13th straight success, it's highly unlikely that Bayern will suffer any opening night nerves. The Bavarians will look to the in-form Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller to provide the goals to overcome the Russian minnows. The Polish striker has scored eight times in his last four games for club and country, while record Champion League scorer, Thomas Muller (36 goals), has also started the season in fine form. But it is, however, high-time for skipper Philipp Lahm to break his scoring duck in the competition after a mere 105 games.
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