Champions League semi-finalist preview: Bayern rampant en route to last four
Bayern Munich's transformation under Hansi Flick this season has been remarkable. Flick replaced Niko Kovac with Bayern fourth in the Bundesliga and four points adrift of first place but they finished the season with their eighth-straight league title, 13 points clear of the chasing pack. They have since lifted the DFB-Pokal and are now favourites to win this season's Champions League. They are pining for only their second ever European treble.
Standing in their way of facing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe's Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday's final is surprise package Lyon. So how exactly did Bayern get to this point in the season? It's time to recap their European campaign to date, going back almost 12 months to its beginning.
Bayern couldn't have asked for a lot more from Niko Kovac in the Champions League. He won his first three group matches, even thrashing Tottenham 7-2 away from home in gameweek two. In truth, however, there was little danger of Bayern missing out on a top two finish having also been pooled together with Red Star Belgrade and Olympiacos in Group B.
The Bavarians finished the group phase as the only side in the Champions League with a 100 per cent record, eight points clear of Tottenham in Group B, with Flick overseeing the last three games following Kovac's sacking. Bayern scored 24 goals across their six group games, at least eight more than any other side in the competition.
Knockout Stage
Finishing top in Group B didn't prove as advantageous as Bayern would have hoped, as the German side drew Chelsea in the round of 16, with each leg being played either side of lockdown. Nevertheless, Flick's side made light work of the Premier League outfit in a repeat of the 2012 final that saw Bayern lose on penalites. On this occasion the tie was done and dusted after the first leg, with Bayern triumphing 3-0 at Stamford Bridge back in February. More than five months passed before the return leg, with Bayern crushing a weakened Chelsea side 4-1 on home soil. Robert Lewandowski remarkably played a direct hand in all seven goals across both legs.
Into the quarter-finals and Bayern's next opponents were Lionel Messi's Barcelona. With the Spanish side in turmoil, a walkover was expected in Bayern's favour but no one expected the 8-2 scoreline. Thomas Muller and Philippe Coutinho both scored braces, with Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry, Ivan Perisic and Joshua Kimmich also finding the back of the net. Having streamlined the tournament to one-leg knockout matches from the quarter-finals onwards, Barcelona were reprieved of another drubbing.
Team Changes
A lot has changed in 12 months for Bayern Munich. Not only do they now have a new manager but there have also been some team major changes. Thomas Muller was out of the team under Kovac at the beginning of their Champions League campaign, with loanee Philippe Coutinho picked ahead of him. Alphonso Davies hadn't yet emerged as one of the world's best left-backs and Niklas Sule and Corentin Tolisso were key before injury ruled both out for the majority of the season.
The latter pair are now fit but not in first-team contention, while Muller is arguably playing some of the best football of his career with Coutinho now in limbo. Davies started Flick's first European game in charge and hasn't looked back, with club-record signing Lucas Hernandez now facing an uncertain future at the club. Even though Jerome Boateng is free to leave, he is now being selected at centre-back alongside David Alaba. Leon Goretzka has also emerged as a key player for Flick post-lockdown.
Top Performers
1. Robert Lewandowski (9.33 rating) - The Bayern striker has scored at least six more goals than any other player in the competition (14) and also has five assists.
2. Alphonso Davies (8.07) - Despite playing out of position, Davies is now recognised as the world's best left-back. He has three assists in six starts, completing more dribbles per game (4) than any other defender in the competition
3. Serge Gnabry (7.84) - Has played a direct hand in nine goals in eight appearances (seven goals, two assists) and in November he became the first player to net four times in a single Champions League game since Cristiano Ronaldo managed the feat in December 2015.
