Another big win for Bayern?
The group in which Bayern Munich will be competing in the Champions League this season is a tough one. With FC Barcelona and Inter Milan, the Munich team will have to compete with heavyweights. Nevertheless, Julian Nagelsmann’s team already has a leg up in the last 16 before the fourth matchday in Pilsen on Wednesday.
Munich once again lead the standings with a commanding nine points from three games. Bayern have been the best team in the group stage in recent years anyway. Inter Milan are still within reach with six points. Barca have only three points and unsurprisingly Viktoria Pilsen are at the bottom of the table with three defeats.
It was clear in advance that the Czech champions would be eliminated from the European Cup after the preliminary round. The gap to the continent’s top teams is too big. That’s why the next defeat probably awaits them on Wednesday.
There could also be another significant drag, as the Czechs have conceded an average of four goals in the first three matchdays. Bayern, however, will hardly be fielding their best line-up and will be happy with an easy win. Therefore, we would not place a bet on a too high handicap victory of the German champions in the duel Viktoria Pilsen against Bayern.
Viktoria Pilsen – Statistics & current form
The Champions League is nothing more than a reward for a good last season for Viktoria Pilsen. Financially, the entry fee alone is very lucrative for the Czech champions. Points bonuses will probably not be added. It would only be logical if Michal Bilek’s team were to be eliminated at the end of the group stage with six defeats.
Shooting gallery of the Champions League
Pilsen have already conceded twelve goals in their first three group games. That last happened to Celtic Glasgow and Legia Warsaw in the 2016/17 season. Four goals conceded per game shows that you should check the odds for more than 3.5 goals in the match between Viktoria Pilsen and Bayern Munich. After all, things are going decently for the Czech champions in the national league.
After eleven matchdays, with Viktoria still having one game less, Michal Bilek’s team leads the standings by four points ahead of Slavia Prague. They at least regained some confidence last weekend when they beat Mlada Boleslav 2-0 at home in the Doosan Arena. Ludek Pernica and Vaclav Jemelka were the goalscorers.
Some changes are expected on Wednesday. Pavel Bucha has served his red suspension and will probably be back in the starting eleven against Bayern. Keeper Jindrich Stanek should return to goal after overcoming a shoulder injury. Czech Republic international striker Jan Sykora is still certain to miss out due to a knee injury.
Predicted line-up of Viktoria Pilsen:
Stanek – Havel, Tijani, Pernica, Jemelka – Kopic, Bucha, Kalvach, Vlkanova – Mosquera, Chory – Coach: Bilek
Last matches played by Viktoria Pilsen:
1st League
08/10/2022 – Viktoria Pilsen 2 – 0 Mlada Boleslaw
Champions League Grp. C
04/10/2022 – Bayern Munich 5 – 0 Viktoria Pilsen
1st League
01/10/2022 – Bohemians 1905 Prague 1 – 1 Viktoria Pilsen
18/09/2022 – Viktoria Pilsen 3 – 0 Sl. Prague
Champions League Grp. C
13/09/2022 – Viktoria Pilsen 0 – 2 Inter Milan
Bayern – Statistics & current form
There’s rumblings at FC Bayern. Nothing negative can be said about the performances in the Champions League, but in the Bundesliga, the Munich side fall short of expectations almost week after week. They are currently in third place, but being four points behind Union Berlin is in no way in keeping with the ambitions of the German record champions.
Mega series in the group stage of the premier league
In the Champions League, on the other hand, things are going like clockwork. After victories over Inter Milan, Barcelona and Pilsen, Julian Nagelsmann’s team is fully on course for the last 16. After all, Bayern have not lost in the last 31 games of the group phase and have won ten times recently. It is therefore not difficult to predict an away win in the clash between Viktoria Pilsen and Bayern
In the Bundesliga, however, the question of mentality arose last Saturday, as Bayern led 2-0 until the final stages of the top match at Borussia Dortmund after goals from Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sane. Actually, the Munich side won’t let such a lead slip away, but after conceding two goals, they lost another bitter point in the 2-2 draw.
In terms of personnel, Julian Nagelsmann will be making a lot of changes. Jamal Musiala will have to take a break after a positive test result. Alphonso Davies will have to sit out due to a skull contusion. Serge Gnabry and Matthijs de Ligt are banged up and are unlikely to play, as are Lucas Hernandez and Bouna Sarr. Thomas Müller has been cleared and is available again.
Predicted Bayern line-up:
Neuer – Mazraoui, Upamecano, Pavard, Stanisic – Kimmich, Goretzka – Coman, Müller, Mane – Tel – Coach: Nagelsmann
Last matches played by Bayern:
Bundesliga
08/10/2022 – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 2 Bayern Munich
Champions League Grp. C
04/10/2022 – Bayern Munich 5 – 0 Viktoria Pilsen
Bundesliga
01/10/2022 – Bayern Munich 4 – 0 Bayer Leverkusen
17/09/2022 – Augsburg 1 – 0 Bayern Munich
Champions League Grp. C
14/09/2022 – Bayern Munich 2 – 0 FC Barcelona
Viktoria Plzen – Bayern Direct comparison / H2H-balance
On the one hand, it is always a highlight for Viktoria Pilsen when they get to test their strength against Bayern Munich. On the other hand, the Czechs know that there is nothing to be gained against the German record champions. The two clubs have faced each other five times so far and FC Bayern has won all five duels. The two clubs faced each other for the first time in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971.
In each case, they suffered a heavy defeat in Munich. The Czechs lost all three away games with a five-goal difference. At home, however, they managed to keep the result within reasonable limits with two 0:1 defeats. Last week, Bayern had no problems at home and won 5-0 after goals from Leroy Sane (2), Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mane and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Viktoria Plzen – Bayern Tip
The Czech champions will be delighted to welcome the great FC Bayern at home. Even though all the statistics point to a clear victory for Bayern, Michal Bilek’s team will not be awestruck. A win would also have opened the door to third place again and at least give them hope of surviving the winter in the European Cup.
We think, however, that the away win is only a question of how much. After all, Bayern have won all five duels against the Czechs. In addition, the FCB have won all of their last ten group games in the Champions League.
With the Munich side expected to rotate more, we don’t expect Julian Nagelsmann’s side to win by as much as they did in the first leg. Moreover, the top match against Freiburg is still to come at the weekend. With a lead, the FCB is therefore likely to drop down a few gears. For this reason, we have decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (+2.5) for the home side between Viktoria Pilsen and FC Bayern
