Hello everyone! Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are already through to the quarter-finals of the
Champions League, meaning that there are two spots left! Barcelona host Arsenal in a thrilling tie at the Camp Nou tonight, but right here, we will be focusing on the clash between
Bayern Munich and
Juventus at the Allianz Arena.
It is safe to say that
Pep Guardiola will be hoping to win the European crown with Bayern before he leaves the club and joins Manchester City in the summer. The Champions League is the only major trophy that he has not won at the German outfit during his two-and-a-half-year spell. While the last-16 tie against Juventus currently sits at 2-2, Bayern have the advantage of two away goals.
As for Juve, well they will head to the Allianz Arena full of confidence as they were able to come from two goals down to keep themselves in the tie. The Italian team made the final last season, so failing to reach the last eight could be seen as a bit of a step back for Massmiliano Allegri, but the coach himself has stressed that the club should not become obsessed with the competition.
Right, before we go any further, let's bring you the starting lineups for both teams.
BAYERN XI: Neuer; Lahm, Kimmich, Alaba, Benatia; Vidal, Alonso; Ribery, Muller, Costa; Lewandowski
Subs: Ulreich, Thiago, Rafinha, Bernat, Gotze, Rode, Coman
JUVENTUS XI: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Evra; Cuadrado, Khedira, Hernanes, Pogba, Alex Sandro; Morata
Subs: Neto, Rugani, Asamoah, Sturaro, Pereyra, Mandzukic, Zaza
The disappointing news for Bayern is that Arjen Robben is not in the squad as he missed training with a cold, meaning that Franck Ribery,
Thomas Muller and Douglas Costa will provide service to
Robert Lewandowski. Medhi Benatia lines the defence with Philipp Lahm, Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba, while Arturo Vidal and Xabi Alonso sit in midfield. As normal, Manuel Neuer is between the sticks.
Juventus are without their goalscorer from the first leg Paulo Dybala, while Claudio Marchisio also misses out. Alvaro Morata will lead the line, but will provide support from a five-man midfield, including
Juan Cuadrado, Sami Khedira, Hernandes,
Paul Pogba and Alex Sandro. Stephan Lichtsteiner, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Patrice Evra form the defence, while Gianluigi Buffon will take his place in goal.
So, let's jump back to the first leg, shall we? The deadlock was broken by Bayern in the 43rd minute when Thomas Muller struck to give the visitors the lead. Ten minutes after the restart, the German outfit doubled their advantage thanks to a goal from Arjen Robben. Given the Bayern were 2-0 up away from home, not many would have tipped Juventus to come back, but they did.
From the 63rd minute, Juventus pulled one back through Paulo Dybala and 14 minutes from time, they were celebrating their second as Stefano Sturaro struck to even up the tie to 2-2. Bayern were unable to respond before the final whistle and they now face the task of finishing off the game on home turf.
Over the last few seasons, Bayern have been practically untouchable in the Bundesliga, but they suffered a slight wobble after failing to kill off the game against Juve. They sealed a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg the weekend following the Champions League tie, but their 17-match winning run at home came to an end against Mainz, who administered a 2-1 defeat.
Jairo Samperio stunned the hosts by taking the lead in the 26th minute, but Bayern were able to respond in the second half thanks to a goal from Robben. The game looked destined for a draw as the final whistle approached, but Jhon Cordoba changed the script by scoring in the 86th minute.
Since then, Guardiola's side were restricted to a goalless draw by Borussia Dortmund, but they returned to emphatic winning ways by romping to a 5-0 triumph over Werder Bremen on home soil. It has been suggested that Guardiola has lost focus as he is already preparing for life at City.
There have also been rumours that the Spaniard will raid his former club for players in the summer transfer window. However, Franz Beckenbauer - the club's honorary president - has claimed that Guardiola will not be allowed to poach.
He told Bild: "This is not allowed to happen. If it was the case, that's not right. But I don't think Guardiola would do that.
"In my eyes it's difficult for all involved - both for Bayern and for Pep. There is always new speculation."
Anyway, back to the Champions League! How did Bayern get to this stage then? Well, they topped their group, as expected, after winning five of their six matches. They showed their intent to become champions early in this season's tournament when they sealed a 3-0 win away at Olympiacos in their group opener. Thomas Muller scored twice, once from the penalty spot, while Mario Gotze also contributed to the scoreline.
The second group game was even more emphatic as they outplayed Dinamo Zagreb in a 5-0 rout at the Allianz Arena.
Robert Lewandowski impressed by scoring a hat-trick, while Douglas Costa and Gotze also found the back of the net. The one blemish from Bayern's record in this stage of the competition was against Arsenal.
The German outfit were tipped as favourites to beat Arsenal at the Emirates, but Arsene Wenger's side caused an upset when Olivier Giroud took the lead in the 77th minute before Mesut Ozil extended it further four minutes into stoppage time. The result did not stun Bayern for long, though, as they got their revenge with a 5-1 win over the Gunners back in Munich. Bayern rounded off their group campaign with a 4-0 win and 2-0 win over Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb respectively.
When asked for his thoughts ahead of this tie, Guardiola told reporters: "We are playing against one of the best teams in Europe. They have not conceded a goal in their last 10 league games so expect a very complicated and uncomfortable game.
"I know what will happen in the coming months if we don't win. Obviously it would be hard for us for the first few days if we lost but we want to advance.
"We must play our game, use our strengths and their weaknesses. We must not only attack but also defend well."
Guardiola's side have been inconsistent since the first leg against Juventus having recorded two wins, a defeat and a draw. In contrast, the Old Lady have won their last four in all competitions, including a Coppa Italia semi-final, which was won on penalties against Inter Milan. In three of those games, Juventus did not concede a single goal and they have not lost a Serie A match since October 28 when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sassuolo.
In terms of their Champions League campaign this season, they have had a mixed bag of results. They began the gore stage strongly by seeing off Manchester City 2-1. After Giorgio Chiellini's 57th-minute own goal, Juve responded with goals from Mario Mandzukic and Alvaro Morata at the Etihad Stadium.
The Turin-based club continued their positive tournament run by sealing a 2-0 win over Sevilla, but they were halted by Borussia Monchengladbach, who restricted Juve to a goalless draw on the Italian club's patch. Another draw was to come against the German team as Stephan Lichtsteiner cancelled out Fabian Johnson's 18th-minute opener.
A slender 1-0 win over City improved their standings in the table and despite losing by that scoreline to Sevilla in Spain, Juventus sealed their place in the next phase of the competition. They have hope of progressing into the quarter-finals thanks to the draw three weeks ago and Allegri has insisted that they will work hard to gain their first victory in Munich for 12 years.
He told reporters: "When we play Bayern, we know we're going to have to run hard for 90 minutes but it is our intention to go there looking for the win that would seal our passage."
STAT! In their last five Champions League games against Bayern, Juventus have not won any of them. In fact, they have lost three and drawn two. Also, the Italian team's last three games in this competition against German opponents this season have all ended in draws.
The history books are not in Juventus' favour ahead of tonight's match, but even if they get knocked out, they have still had a relatively successful campaign. They're closing in on the Serie A title and they are into the final of the Coppa Italia. Also, it seems as though their manager is not going anywhere.
Allegri was touted as one of the early candidates for the Chelsea manager's job shortly after Jose Mourinho was sacked in December, but the club and the coach himself have refuted the rumours. Italy head coach Antonio Conte is now the favourite to take the role at Stamford Bridge.
Earlier this month, Allegri was quoted by
The Independent as saying: "Next year, I will still be coach of Juventus because I have another year on my contract.
"There's never been anything [with other clubs]. I'm fine here and there are no problems. Now we're thinking of a fifth Scudetto in a row and the Coppa Italia. We work to improve every year."
Not long to go now! Both teams have made their way out onto the pitch at the Allianz Arena. Fingers crossed for a decent contest!
KICKOFF! Juventus get us underway! Jonas Eriksson is the referee for this one. Enjoy!
CHANCE! Bayern come close to making an early impact at the Allianz! Costa cuts inside and drills the ball forward for Vidal, who gets in behind the defence and looks to be one on one with the keeper, but the ball goes straight to Buffon.
At the other end, Juventus get a free kick in Bayern's half. The ball is sent into the box by Barzagli, but it's too high and bypasses the Juventus players waiting in the area.
GOAL! BAYERN 0-1 JUVENTUS (POGBA)
Wow, what a start for Juventus! They have taken the lead in this game and in the tie 3-2 on aggregate thanks to Paul Pogba! Bayern don't help themselves with some poor defending as the ball is played over the top by Morata for Lichtsteiner. Alaba tries to track it, but he's unable to clear and the ball it cut back to Pogba, who drills it into an open goal after Neuer came off his line.
Guardiola will be unhappy with that defending. The German side need to respond, but luckily for them, they have plenty of time to do so. Lewandowksi moves out wide before sending in a cross, but the ball fails to reach any of his teammates and bobbles out of play.
Ribery tries his luck on the edge of the box after the ball is crossed into the area, but he slices his shot and the ball flies high over the bar.
Juventus are very positive on the ball and they look comfortable knocking it around the park. It's a bit frantic from Bayern's point of view, but you can never rule them out scoring!
Ribery keeps Lahm's lofty cross alive after it's headed back in by a Juve defender. The Frenchman sends the ball high to the other side of the box. He finds Muller, who aims for goal but it's easily gathered by Buffon.
Juventus almost get another good opportunity. Bayern's defence messes up again as they have pushed too far ahead. The cross is played in for Morata, who unleashes a shot, but it soars over the bar.
Bayern are getting more of the ball now and are trying to work their way through Juventus' defence to get close to the net. After some intricate movement, Costa unleashes from distance, but it doesn't bother Buffon as it flies into the stands.
Vidal gets on the ball and plays it over the top of the defence for Lewandowski, whose run is perfectly-timed, but the ball falls just too far ahead and his overstretched leg cannot stop it from bouncing behind for a goal kick.
Juventus get a free kick and Sandro whips it into the area. Never gets there first as he punches it clear, but the whistle has blown anyway for a foul in the box.
Oh dear, Neuer is not happy! The goalkeeper yells at his defenders after the ball that he is forced to come forward and clear bounces into Morata, who plays it forward to Pogba, whose resulting goal is offside. Bayern look rattled at the moment!
Ribery switches the play out wide to Costa, who cuts inside and plays the ball back to Ribery, who waits close to the byline and gets on the end of it. He heads towards goal, but Buffon jumps high to collect the ball in the air.
GOAL! BAYERN 0-2 JUVENTUS (CUADRADO)
Bayern are stunned! Juventus have doubled their lead and they have thoroughly deserved it! It's a brilliant counter-attack from the Italian visitors as Morata storms from his own half to get past three Bayern players before passing the ball out right to Cuadrado, who switches feet and evades two defenders before firing the ball past Neuer and into the top right corner.
BOOKING! Khedira is the first player to go in the referee's book. I assume it's for wasting time while tying his shoelaces!
You feel that Bayern have a mountain to climb to get back in this game. As it stands, Juventus are winning 4-2 on aggregate. Should Bayern score two and the match end 4-4 on aggregate, we'll be going into extra time in penalties.
It is just not happening for the home side this evening. They've had the majority of possession, but their work in the final third is not getting them through. Alonso tries to instigate something with a low ball to Ribery, but it's overhit and the ball goes behind for a goal kick.
Bayern are patiently working the ball around the pitch, but they need to do more. They're struggling mainly due to Juventus's impact defence - there is no way through! Costa gets a strike on, but it's comfortably blocked.
BOOKING! Morata is the second Juventus player this evening to pick up a yellow card. The former Real Madrid man is booked for a high foot on Kimmich.
SAVE! Vidal lifts the ball forward to Muller, who latches onto the ball and drills a low shot at goal, but Buffon makes the stop. The ball bounces back in play and comes off Lewandowski, but the ball falls wide.
SAVE! At the other end, Neuer makes a crucial save! Pogba tries to play in Morata in the box, but the ball travels just past him towards Cuadrado, who fires from close range, but Neuer makes a stop at his near post.
HALF-TIME: BAYERN 0-2 JUVENTUS
Well, how many of you thought that Juventus would be 2-0 up by half-time?! Not many, I would guess. It has been a perfect half for the Italian visitors as they have executed their game plan perfectly. Paul Pogba gave them the lead in the sixth minute and from that point, Bayern were rattled. Juan Cuadrado added a second goal just before the half-hour mark, and while the home side had the majority of possession, they struggled to make it count in the final third. The tie currently sits at 4-2 on aggregate in Juventus' favour. We'll return for the second half shortly.
RESTART! Bayern get the second half underway! Can they bounce back or will Juventus see out the win?
BAYERN SUB: Guardiola has made a half-time substitution. Medhi Benetia makes way for Juan Bernat.
BOOKINGS! Oh dear, frustrations boil over as Vidal angrily confronts Cuadrado after he brought down the Juventus man. As a result, the Chilean gets booked, as does Lichtsteiner for his reaction to the clash.
Juventus work the ball around the penalty area. Lahm attempts to clear with a header, but it's not the most convincing and the ball drops to Sandro, who heads towards goal, but it's easily gathered by Neuer.
BOOKINGS! Another two yellow cards! Lewandowski gets the first for catching Evra behind and a minute later, Bonucci goes in the book. There will be more yellow cards than completed passes at this rate!
CHANCE! Some decent play from Juventus once more as Pogba dispossess Ribery close to the byline in his own half. The ball is eventually played forward to Morata, who beats Alaba and gets into the box, but his shot goes straight to the keeper.
CHANCE! Morata comes close again! The forward runs past his marker to latch onto the pass. Once again he gets into the box and cuts inside before taking a shot, but his effort ends up going inches over the bar.
Lewandowski gets a teasing ball into the box and the defender's clearance benefits him. The Polish international cannot get a shot away so he plays it back and it's squared across the box by Alonso, who passes to Bernat. He takes a shot, but it's blocked and the play eventually breaks down for a foul on Pogba.
BAYERN SUB: Guardiola makes his second change of the game as Alonso makes way for Coman.
Costa and Ribery link up on the edge of the box before the former sends the ball in towards the centre of the area, but it's cleared by Juventus' defence, which has been very solid this evening.
Much like the first half, Bayern cannot find a way through. The ball bounces around the penalty area and Ribery unleashes a close-range shot, but it's blocked and eventually the move breaks down.
Ribery tries a difference approach by storming to the byline and sending a low cross towards goal, but Buffon was able to snatch it before a Bayern player could latch on.
JUVENTUS SUB: It's time for a change for the away side and it's Khedira who comes off, making way for Sturaro.
The Bayern players shout for a penalty as they believe that Barzagli touched the ball with his hand when it was crossed into the box, but the referee says no and signals for a corner kick, which comes to nothing for the hosts.
JUVENTUS SUB: That's the end of Morata's night and what an impact the former Real Madrid player has made! He is replaced with Mandzukic.
GOAL! BAYERN 1-2 JUVENTUS (LEWANDOWSKI)
Game on! Lewandowski scores his eighth goal in eight Champions League matches to claw Bayern back into this match! The striker sends a powerful header from six yards out past Buffon after latching onto the end of Costa's perfect cross from the edge of the box. This tie is far from over!
Bayern get a free kick in a dangerous area close to the byline. Costa takes it and delivers the ball into the box, but it's headed away, not convincingly though. The ball is still alive and play gets scrappy in the middle of the box, but no red shirts can get a shot on and the danger disappears.
The tie is now 4-3 on aggregate in Juventus' favour, but if Bayern score another then the match will go into extra time, providing that neither score another goal before the 90 minutes is up.
As expected, Bayern are piling on the pressure but they need to make it count! Vidal shoots from distance, but it's not one of his best efforts and the ball flies over the bar.
Ribery shows great feet by dancing into the box and getting past a handful of players, but his shot is blocked and the move breaks down.
Lewandowski plays in Muller, who drives towards the edge of the area but falls to a challenge. Ribery latches onto the ball and plays it towards Costa, but the midfielder falls over as he tries to get on the end of it.
We have less than 10 minutes to go. Juventus are defending for their lives at the moment. Can they hold on?!
Some nervy moments for Juventus as Bayern win a corner, but the home side waste it as a shot corner from Bernat is not read by Ribery.
OFF THE POST! Lewandowski's header clatters off the post! So close for the Polish striker and it came off a great ball from Costa. Even if the forward had scored, though, it would not have counted as he was offside.
GOAL! BAYERN 2-2 JUVENTUS (MULLER)
Oh my word! What a comeback! Thomas Muller brings up an equaliser for Bayern after a delightful cross from Coman finds the attacker, who heads the ball into the left side of the goal. We are on the verge of extra time!
EXTRA TIME: BAYERN 2-2 JUVENTUS
Wow, we're going into extra time. Bayern produced a late comeback to force through and extra 30 minutes and possibly penalties. Guardiola's side took 73 minutes to get into this game as Lewandowski found the back of the net before Muller scored a dramatic header in the 91st minute! Pogba and Cuadrado got on the scoresheet for Juve and they must have thought they had wrapped it up, but into extra time we go! ...and breathe.
And we're off! Extra time is underway. Will we get a winner in the next 30 minutes or will penalties decide it?
Juve try to make an early impact as Lichtsteiner latches into the ball before unleashing a shot towards the bottom left corner, but Neuer drops down to make the stop.
Ribery tries to cut into the box, but Lichtsteiner is there to put pressure on the winger and force play back.
Bayern look the more likely to score at the moment. Lewandowski gets a strike on but it gets blocked. Ribery then tries to dance towards the goal by taking on the defence, but the ball eventually trickles to the keeper.
BAYERN SUB: That's the end of Ribery's night. Guardiola hauls him off and replaces him with Alcantara.
That's the end of the first half of extra time. You may have thought Bayern were going to come out firing to get the winner, but nothing can separate the two at the moment!
The second half of extra time is underway! We need a winner in the next 15 minutes or we're going to penalties.
Pogba searches for Pereyra, but his pass is too powerful and the ball trickles out of play.
GOAL! BAYERN 3-2 JUVENTUS (ALCANTARA)
GOAL! BAYERN 4-2 JUVENTUS (COMAN)
Job done for Bayern! Inside two minutes, the home side have scored two goals! Substitutes
Thiago Alcantara and
Kingsley Coman found the back of the net. Alcantara scored after a lovely one-two with Muller and Coman struck with a nicely-struck shot from inside the box.
Bayern are now patiently knocking the ball around and you cannot blame them. They've got the goals that they needed and they are only a few minutes away from booking their place in the quarter-finals.
CHANCE! Close for Juve! Pogba crosses into the box to find Sturaro, who only needs to poke it past Neuer, but he sends it right to the keeper.
Bonucci has a great opportunity to score as the ball is lofted into the box, but his header falls into the hands of Neuer.
FULL-TIME: BAYERN 4-2 JUVENTUS
Well, what a comeback! Juventus looked certain to go through after dominating the first half with goals from Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado. It took 73 minutes for Bayern to make an impact as Robert Lewandowski scored and Thomas Muller sent the game into extra time with a header in the 91st minute. In the 30 minutes of extra time, Thiago Alcantara and Kingsley Coman scored to send Bayern into the quarter-finals! Thank you for joining us and until next time, goodbye!