Chelsea 0-3 Bayern Munich: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Kingsley Coman struggled to make a direct impact but his absence was felt once he left the pitch. Bayern couldn’t stretch the play and it made it difficult for the attackers to find space in the final third, until Marcos Alonso got sent off.
• Hansi Flick will be satisfied by the performance but disappointed with the scoreline. if only Muller’s shot off the crossbar had gone in, and the ref had seen fit to give Bayern a penalty. Oh well.
• Robert Lewandowski turned provider rather than scorer today and it paid dividends — two assists to Gnabry.
• Serge Gnabry really loves coming to London, that’s now 6 goals in two games at the English capital.
• Alphonso Davies is a gem — we cannot stress this enough.
• There is nothing more insufferable than listening to an English commentator while an English team is losing.

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Full time: Chelsea 0-3 Bayern Munich.

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89’: Thiago comes off for Goretzka. Great performance from him.

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82’: Marcos Alonso given a red card after VAR review for violent conduct.

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74’: GOAL! Lewandowski makes it 3-0! Perfect play by Davies, he’s been excellent.

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64’: Disaster. Coman’s come down with an injury. Looks like Coutinho will come on.

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53’: GOAL! Gnabry does it again! Another assist for Lewy.

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50’: GOAL! Serge Gnabry scores to make it 1-0!

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45’: Second half kicks off!

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HT: Here are some observations from the half:

• Muller has been great so far. Hit the crossbar and could’ve had an assist if Lewandowski finished his golden chances.
• Bayern are playing much more cautiously than usual, and it’s affecting the team’s attack. Chelsea’s press looks well-drilled.
• Poor passing is leading to dangerous turnovers in midfield. Chelsea have had chances they could’ve scored, and all of them came from Bayern mistakes.

Hopefully, the second half is better than the first.

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33’: Muller comes closest to scoring as his header hits the crossbar.

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Kickoff: We are underway in London!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Exactly as predicted, Hansi Flick has gone for the jugular. Now it’s down to the players.

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THE CHAAAAMPIONS!!! It’s been so long, but Bayern Munich are finally ready for some Champions League action. Chelsea aren’t the toughest draw we could’ve had at this stage of the competition, but they’re by far the strongest opponents we’ve faced in Europe this season.

Hansi Flick needs to pull out all the stops for this one. That means putting Robert Lewandowski up front, supported by a trio of Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, and Kingsley Coman from left to right. With Leon Goretzka having barely played in the last two weeks, the coach will likely opt for a midfield pairing of Thiago Alcantara and Joshua Kimmich. It’ll be up to them to stop Chelsea’s formidable pivot of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.

Despite Lucas Hernandez being available, Bayern’s record transfer is not likely to start. Because having two left footers in central defense has been causing problems as of late, Flick will probably go with his tried-and-tested back four. Alphonso Davies will start his first ever Champions League knockout game at left back, supported by David Alaba at left center back. Jerome Boateng will take the other central defensive spot, with Benjamin Pavard rounding out the backline at right back. If you need a more detailed explanation for the lineup, check out our preview.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: Stamford Bridge, London, England

Time: 8:00 pm local time, 3:00 pm EST

TV/streaming: Fubo.tv, Find Your Country

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