Lazio – Bayern Munich

The German champion will take away a winning result from Rome

Lazio's luck has been different in the current Champions League draw. First, the Roman club was drawn in one of the weakest groups in Europe's elite tournament, and then faced one of the most difficult opponents in the first round of the play-offs. The Italian side beat Celtic twice in Champions League Quartet E, exchanged victories with Feyenoord and picked up just one point in two encounters with Atletico Madrid. It was the stability of the Spanish side that allowed the Romans to enter the play-offs from second place with ten points. Bayern looked set to compete in Group A with Manchester United for first place in the company of Copenhagen and Galatasaray. However, the Mancunian club decided to "self-liquidate" in the current Champions League draw, so the Munich club entered the play-offs from the first place, with almost no visible effort and losing points only in a home meeting with a defiant Copenhagen. Bookmakers have identified the guests as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.66 on their victory. Lazio in the current season of Serie A performs worse than in the previous one. Now the Roman club occupies the eighth place in the standings, with two wins behind Atalanta, who are in the Champions League zone. Lazio finished the past year well and started the 2024th. During the month Sarri's team won four times in the league and won the Rome derby in the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup. However, subsequent meetings with truly worthy opponents have brought Lazio disappointments: Inter - 0:3, Napoli - 0:0, Atalanta - 1-3. The Romans beat Cagliari on Saturday, but their lack of class to compete with Bayern is palpable. Bayern always have a special approach to important Champions League matches, most often sweeping their opponents out of the way. Now, however, Lazio are doubly unlucky. On the eve of the Rome clash, the German champion lost the centrepiece of the second round of the Bundesliga against a direct title rival in Leverkusen. A collapse at the end of the meeting with Bayer will help the team to set up for the Champions League play-offs in the best possible way.