Lazio, Bayern collide in crucial Champions League match

MANILA, Philippines – It’s SS Lazio versus Bayern Munich on Thursday, February 15, in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The match will be played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

SS Lazio isn’t a club that goes deep into European continental competition.

The Italian club based in Rome does make the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa and UEFA Europa Conference League, and others. But they are mostly confined to the group stages, the occasional Round of 16 or even quarterfinals.

However, any success came at the end of the 20th century when they won the 1998-99 UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the 1999 UEFA Super Cup.

This current squad of Lazio has only one player who played on that team from the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League season — forward Ciro Immobile, who is now team captain.

Even their coach, Mauro Sarri, wasn’t on that previous team. Which is good because they will have no short term memories of playoff disappointment more so it was Bayern Munich that previously dispatched them in the Round of 16.

Lazio was expected to compete for a Champions League slot in the Italian Serie A this season but find themselves adrift at eighth spot. Luckily for them, they defeated Cagliari 3-1 in the last fixture, giving them confidence heading into the match. And this Champions League could be their saving grace (they finished second of Group E with a 3-1-2 record).

Provided they get past Bayern Munich.

Bayern, despite all their injuries, are still tipped to win this fixture.

The perennial German champions find themselves in second in the Bundesliga and just this past week, were crushed 3-0 by league-leading Bayer Leverkusen. 

In continental play, Bayern finished the Group A with a 5-1-0 slate, they only dropped points in a scoreless draw versus Copenhagen. 

Their two losses came at the hands of Feyenoord, 3-1, and Atletico Madrid, 2-nil. Both losses were on the road. 

 The only previous matches between the two sides was during the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League — also in the Round of 16 — with the German squad winning both legs 4-1 away and 2-1 at home. 

They still have veterans from the last time they faced Lazio in the 2020-21 campaign in team captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer; midfielders Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, Leon Gortezka, and Kingsley Koman; forward Thomas Muller; and defender Alphonso Davies. 

This crucial tiff will be televised live on the Premier football Channel on Sky Cable and Cignal as well as on streaming application, Blast TV this February 15 at 4 a.m.