Bayern Munich is a proven European giant. They are the nine time consecutive Bundesliga champions, looking to reach their 10th title in May. They have the best squad in Germany and one of the most exciting young coaches in the world. Also, they are the team with one of the weakest opponents in the knockout phase of the Champions League – Salzburg. The Austrian champion is part of the Red Bull ‘group’ and is a successful club, but not nowhere near the Bavarians. Unlike PSG-Real of Liverpool – Inter, this should be an easy one for Bayern.Thomas Müller is delivering again 🎯🔹 Across all comps in 2021/22 🔹#UCL @esmuellert_ pic.twitter.com/BV8hnxBnNB— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 7, 2022 Think again. Death threats, shameful loss to a Bundesliga newcomer and accusations of animal cruelty against one of best players are things which preoccupy the club ahead of the first match which will be played tonight in Salzburg.“Save the league, save football. Fire and death to the dirty Bavarian pigs” – says the letter received by the FC St. Pauli office. According to Bild, the anonymous author calls for the record champions’ players to be shot, and Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer and Serge Gnabry are named. The Davidwache officers took the threat very seriously and contacted the State Criminal Police Office in Hamburg in January, when the letter arrived. The threatening letter is examined for fingerprints and DNA traces, and it’s very interesting that the letter came to Hamburg, and not to Munich, where the club is located.Hire a sleeping coach and eat backwards – if you want to be like LewandowskiAnother distraction, a more serious one is the most surprise defeat in whole Europe last week – a 4-2 loss at Bochum. The Bavarians were crushed in just half an hour (4 goals from 14th until 44th minute) by a team which is only 6 points above the relegation zone and which Bayern thrashed 7-0 at the beginning of Bundesliga. And one of the most vocal players in the team Thomas Muller again pointed out that 100% commitment is always required, even against weaker opponent. “We were reminded of that very clearly against Bochum. How badly do you want to suffer for success? How bad is the suffering if you don’t succeed? We have to work hard so that we don’t need the pressure from outside to torment ourselves more” said Muller ahead of the game.A rare case of Bayern neglecting their own talent – Karim AdeyemiThe player itself is also under pressure, but outside the club. He and his wife Lisa run a horse farm in Germany which they use in part to sell horse semen. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a non-profit organisation has recently accused Thomas and Lisa of animal cruelty. They have been accused of making their horses perform “unnatural sexual acts” on their farm to obtain doses of horse semen that they freeze and then sell for an average of 200 euros per dose.Top scorers in the Champions League Round of 16: 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi 29 ⚽️ 🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo 25 ⚽️ 🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski 14 ⚽️ 🇩🇪 Thomas Muller 12 ⚽️ 🇬🇧 Karim Benzema 11 ⚽️ 🇦🇷 Sergio Aguero 8 ⚽️ 🇬🇧 Thierry Henry 8 ⚽️ 🇳🇱 Arjen Robben 8 ⚽️#UCL— #AUGUST25/TEAMVIRGO (@fadeyiolayinka) February 15, 2022 But, even with all those extractions, the Bavarians are, after all, big favorites. The difference between the clubs is obvious, and unlike Bundesliga, Bayern are yet to suffer any defeat in the Champions League. They are playing the first leg in Salzburg but who cares? They haven’t lost a Champions League game outside of Munich since September 2017, since winning 20 and drawing four. Victories in the group stage this season at Barcelona (3-0), Benfica (4-0) and Kyiv (2-1) have made it five wins in a row on the road in Europe, as well as clean sheets in three of the last four.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUERound of 16TuesdaySporting – Manchester City 0-5 (0-4)/Mahrez 7, Silva 17, 44, Foden 32, Sterling 58/PSG – Real Madrid 1-0 (0-0)/Mbappe 90+4/Wednesday23:00: (8.00) Salzburg (5.30) Bayern (1.40)23:00: (3.35) Inter (3.50) Liverpool (2.25)February 22nd23:00: (1.37) Chelsea (4.80) Lille (8.50)23:00: (2.70) Villareal (3.10) Juventus (2.75)February 23rd23:00: (3.50) Benfica (3.45) Ajax (2.10)23:00: (2.55) Atl.Madrid (3.15) Man.Utd. (2.85)***odds are subject to change
