H2HLiverpool W4, D2, L110 European CupsLiverpool, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005 Bayern Munich, 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013With all the recent talk of title races, must-win games, pressure, tension and anxiety, isn’t it nice to take a break from it all with a more soothing sounding Champions League round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich?Well, maybe not. But while it may not be ideal for our heart rates, this is what we have wanted for years. Ladies and Gentleman, we are well and truly back dining at the top table and there is no better place to demonstrate it than in this competition. While we’re here, we may as well be facing off against one of those rarest of clubs; one of a similar pedigree to ours. Never mind hoping for an easy route, bring them all on, I say. Anfield is made for nights like these, and Liverpool were made for ties like these. So too, you could argue, were Bayern Munich. Yet, this is the first time since 1981 that we have faced each other in European Cup action…Previous MeetingsIt is a curiosity that two teams that have had so much success in this competition, with 5 European Cups each to our names, have only encountered each other once along the way. We have played the Bavarian giants just six times in competitive fixtures in our history (the Audi Cup shall only be deemed competitive should we win it) starting with 4 games in a single calendar year back in 1971. Firstly, we met them in the Fairs Cup, the predecessor to the UEFA Cup and is, as far as I can tell, the only top honour these teams are eligible to play in that neither of us ever won. We got the better of them as we followed up a convincing 3 nil victory at Anfield with a 1 all draw in Munich, but Leeds went on to win the trophy.Seven months later we met again, this time in the Cup Winner’s Cup. The first leg was again played at Anfield, this time ending 0-0 before a 3-1 defeat in Munich levelled the head to head. The most famous fixture between the teams, however, came in the 1981 European Cup semi-finals. Once again the first leg was played at Anfield and once again Munich failed to score there, meaning that on their fourth visit on the 19th February, they will be looking for their first competitive goal in our famous old stadium. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, their outspoken modern day chairman, played in each leg. The second leg may well get a mention in the reverse pre-match thread so I won’t go in to it too much, the link for the first leg is below if you fancy getting nostalgic and the second leg can easily be found on Youtube as well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAr3AbXKMOII’m sure some of our wiser, more experienced (older, more ancient) posters will have some nice memories of those early fixtures. Alun Evans, Howard Gayle, Ray Kennedy, Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer… The only meeting I was alive for was the 2001 Super Cup final, and what a game that was. I ran out into the kitchen after 2 minutes to let my dad know that some ginger bloke called “Rye eyes” had just scored. “It’s Riise, Son,” my Dad replied “and he’s the next Roberto Carlos.” Heskey and Owen added to that lead and we went on to win 3-2. If you’re looking for good omens heading into this game then it’s maybe worth remembering where we were the last time we played them; a rock solid defence backed up by an attack capable of goals galore, en route to a fifth trophy in six months. We’ve got the defence, we’ve got the goals, can we add that other bit to the mixture?<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/P3-C6uS7e5A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/P3-C6uS7e5A</a>Common FoesWe know all about the pedigree of our opponents, who like us look at the Champions League as the holy grail. They come into this season more desperate than ever for European success after a series of heartbreaks in season’s past. In each of the last two years they have been undone by Real Madrid at the semi final stage. If you felt we were unlucky with reffing decisions in last years final then go and have a look at the way Munich were eliminated in the Bernabeu two seasons ago, courtesy of 2 Ronaldo offside goals and an incorrect red card. Last season they were very close to meeting us in the final in Kiev, but after a host of missed chances and an outrageous goalkeeping error (shudder) could only consider themselves unfortunate not to have made it after a great performance in the second leg.In Real Madrid we have one foe in common, but another is much closer to home.Rummenigge has been one of the most outspoken critics of the way that Man City and PSG have seemingly cheated FFP rules in order to hit their current heights, describing them both as “to blame for the current spending madness”. You look at Bayern’s dominance of Bundesliga in recent years, as well as their ability to consistently compete for major European honours, and it almost comes as a surprise nowadays that they have managed it while keeping ticket prices low, fans happy, without any debt and recording a profit for a whopping 26 seasons in a row.If, like me, you’re a subscriber to the belief that football is a mirror to society, then you might see some similarities in these footballing politics with those of real life. Bayern, Liverpool and the likes are portrayed by City (and PSG) as the establishment, protected by UEFA, fat cats sat at the top in a system fixed to benefit only them. City, meanwhile, are the humble, downtrodden underdogs who are rebelling against it, twisting the rules (and the truth) and gaining their funding from all kinds of shady places. Originally laughed off and underestimated, only to go on and gain substantial success and leave us reeling. Yes, I’m comparing PSG and City to the Brexit campaign, and I’m going to run with it.The reality is that Bayern is a fantastically well-run club, which is something else that we can say we have in common after it emerged we broke the profit record in the accounts published last week. Bayern have been head and shoulders above the rest in Germany and that is why they have had so much dominance. Being able to nick Dortmund’s best players every year helps as well, mind.We aren’t perfect by any means; any club putting fans in white t-shirts and presenting them in a way which advertises “T Mobile” in the stands, or makes revenue out of having doughnut or lubricant partners, has surely lost the sense of what football was originally about somewhere along the line. But we’re surely better than these state funded new boys on the block?Anyway, all this is to say, that we have a great deal in common with our Bavarian brothers. I’m sure they will be given a warm Anfield welcome and we will get the same for the second leg. Two genuine giants, it’s the sort of game everybody wants to see.The MatchI’m sure others will have been following Bayern much closer than I throughout the season, but even a quick look at the table shows you that they haven’t had it all their own way. Dortmund lead the way still, looking for their first title since our beloved Jurgen so majestically gegenpressed the Bayern dominance to pieces. They have improved as of late, finding the goals again, and you certainly wouldn’t rule them out of the title race yet.If improved form is a warning then a bigger one should be that form pretty much goes out of the window anyway when you get a heavyweight like Bayern in a European tie. They are going to be a tough opponent. Ageing players like Robben and Ribery may have lost some of their terrifying ability over the course of a long slog of a season, but these are the nights that they’ll still believe they can make a massive difference in. We saw it with Real Madrid last season; slacking in the league but they always felt at home in this competition.Muller is of course suspended, and Neuer is a doubt for them as well. For us, Virgil is a big loss but we’d surely rather have him for that second leg where chances are we’ll end up under a barrage at some point. Barrage that is, not Frottage, I've left the Brexit comparisons alone for now. One other thing to watch out for is that VAR will be introduced in time for this game. That’ll be an interesting one. I’ve been quite a fan of it, watching as a neutral, but Jesus, can you imagine getting pegged back and waiting for a decision over a goal for 5 minutes in this one?One of the big talking points for this game is that, while we haven’t faced Bayern a great deal in our history, our current manager certainly has. One of his toughest nights in management came in that 2013 final at Wembley, where a late Arjen Robben goal saw his Dortmund side who’d won the hearts of everyone in football come up just short. Revenge won’t be near the front of his mind, and even Bayern Munich fans all seem to love our Jurgen Norbert, but I’m sure he’d take some extra satisfaction in getting to the quarter final if it’s at their expense.For us, we have a nice little break now, which to be fair hasn’t always worked in our favour this season. But a big European night is just what the doctor ordered, and in my opinion will also be a boost for our league campaign. The league is the bread and butter but this is the type of night that can take Anfield into a different stratosphere completely. It promises to be a brilliant tie between two heavyweights full of respect for each other. Strap yourselves in and enjoy it...we're right where we want to be.
Zippy start by the reds
And what a pass by Alisson... oh my...
13. Pressure from them, shot, saved.
Matip kicked it into Alisson chest...
Good chance that for Mo....
26 Keita gets us a free kick after a foul by Kimmich.
Kimmich Yellow rules him out of the return leg
