Champions League Tuesday Quarter-Final Predictions: Bayern vs Man Utd, Lyon vs Bordeaux

The Champions League quarter-finals are here already?

They certainly are. This evening Bayern host Man Utd to the Allianz Arena (although UEFA would prefer you say Fußball Arena München, since that particular sponsorship deal has nothing to do with them) while Lyon welcome Bordeaux to Stade de Gerland. First legs can be a bit of a let down, but I think these two games have plenty of potential for drama.

Let’s start in Germany. In fact let’s start in the city of Florence, where any Fiorentina fans who aren’t the guy from Memento will still be stinging from the way Bayern got past them in the Round of 16. We know who they’ll be supporting tonight.

Bayern Munich vs Man Utd

In terms of actual match buildup, it all favours Man Utd from where I’m sitting. Alex Ferguson rested Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand against Bolton on Saturady and still won 4-0, while Bayern brought Arjen Robben off the bench against Stuttgart, only for the Dutchmen’s calf to go ping.

“Robben is not actually injured,” is Bayern coach Louis van Gaal’s rather confusing assessment. “But you know what problem he has and we will do what we can to make him fit but I don’t want to take even the smallest of risks.

“His muscle is just tired and I need to be certain that a player is 100%.

“It is a huge game and we cannot have him at 80%. I know certainly that we need a player like Robben against an opponent like Manchester United, but if he is not 100% then he doesn’t play.”

So Robben either will or won’t play, and his presence will be either felt or missed accordingly. The only thing I know for certain is that he should be forced to wear those tights even when it’s not cold, to prevent situations like this from occurring.

Head on over to Bayern Offside for Luke’s excellent preview, including: Why Man Utd should fear Ivica Olic more than Franck Ribery, and how Anatoliy Tymoshchuk could close down Wayne Rooney, and why Antonio Valencia might be in for a productive evening.

Prediction: Despite what Louis van Gaal says above, I suspect he’ll start Robben and then regret it when that calf goes again. In a series of related events Man Utd will come away from Munich with a 2-1 win.

Bonus Prediction: Ivica Olic and Park Ji-Sung will get so distracted by their “hardest working winger in the world” competition that they’ll forget about the game and just race each other up and down a flank for 90 minutes.

Lyon vs Bordeaux

With all respect to Bayern vs Man Utd, I say this is the game to watch. There’s going to be a French team in the Champions League semi-final, and these two will fight tooth and nail to make sure it’s them. Bordeaux are missing suspended defensive mid and captain Alou Diarra, while Lyon’s problems sounds more metaphysical:

“We’re not playing against Bordeaux, we’re playing against ourselves,” Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris said.

Hmmm.

Bordeaux playmaker Yoann Gourcuff isn’t quite the player he was last season, but he’s still the French Kaka if you ask me. The home side will look to their Bosnian wonderkid Miralem Pjanić, who’s only 19 but scored the goal that took Lyon past Real Madrid in the Round of 16. Whatever happens, I’m thinking/hoping this game will be an advert for French football.

Prediction: Diarra’s absence for Bordeaux makes the home side favourites for me. I say 2-0 to Lyon.

Bonus Prediction: Hugo Lloris will look very confused when the Bordeax players and not his own teammates start shooting at him.

So there are my predictions. What do you see happening?

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Category: Champions League