At a boisterous Villa Park, Unai Emery’s team welcomed Bayern for their first Champions League home game of the new season.

The game was moving quickly on the field, and about 20 minutes in, a fan in the stands was shown on TNT Sports cameras. He was observed fist-pumping and cheering for his side while appearing innocent from a distance.

However, he seemed to snort a white powder that had been placed upon his wrist while the cameras were focused on him for a brief moment.

It was evident that the director attempted to quickly cut away after realising what was being shown, but it was already too late.

Millions of people watched the fan’s actions live and worldwide, and many had already noticed them. They were as obvious as day.

Naturally, the Tuesday night surprise caused fans to scream in reaction.

Villa believed they had taken a 1-0 lead in the match when Pau Torres headed home, but VAR correctly disallowed the first goal due to an offside during the build-up.

Dayot Upamecano’s avoidance of what appeared to be a simple red card when he hauled down Ollie Watkins while running through had already left the hosts feeling cheated.

Minutes later, the former RB Leipzig player was given a yellow card for the same behaviour, but he went unpunished.

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Following a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena last week, the two past European conquerors shook hands. Borussia Dortmund or Paris Saint-Germain will be waiting to greet the Bernabeu winner.

Real Madrid, no strangers to crushing dreams of Champions League glory, survived an early storm at the Allianz Arena last week and delivered a sucker punch akin to Vinicius Junior in the first half. However, the Brazilian was required to be Los Blancos’ late savior in the second half.

Leroy Sane’s thunderous near-post finish and Harry Kane’s composed penalty turned the first leg on its head.

However, Vinicius’s second of the evening ensured that the semi-final would be left hanging precariously after Kim Min-jae, whose performance was nothing short of catastrophic, felled Rodrygo inside the box.

2023/24 season story

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are two teams that could only have one of them win the Champions League and the top flight at the end of the season.

The visitors to the Spanish capital, however, had their title taken away from them by Bayer Leverkusen and are still yet to even place in the top three.

In fact, since shutting out Manchester United in December 2024, Bayern has failed to maintain a clean sheet away from home.

They have conceded multiple goals in eight of their previous ten games on opponent land, winning only three of those appallingly bad runs.

Bayern’s defensive woes continue; in nine prior encounters with the renowned Blancos manager, they have failed to record a clean sheet and have gone 16 games without one against Real Madrid; no team in Champions League history has gone winless against a manager as bad as Bayern’s.

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich Match Details

Date: Thursday, May 9, 2024
Time: 12:30 AM IST
Location: Santiago Bernabeu
TV: Sony Ten Network (India)
Live Stream: Sony LIV

Lineup Prediction

Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior

Bayern Munich possible starting lineup: Neuer; Kimmich, Dier, De Ligt, Mazraoui; Goretzka, Laimer; Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane

Fantasy XI

Goalkeeper – Neuer

Defenders – Rudiger, De Ligt, Kimmich, Nacho

Midfielders – Bellingham, Kroos, Goretzka

Attackers – Kane, Vini Jr, Rodrygo

Overall H2H Stats

Also Read: When And Where to Watch Champions League 2023-24 Live Stream Free

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Which club holds the record for longest unbeaten run in football history. We gathered some information from Transfermarkt for some of the best leagues in the world, that is, their all time performing stats.

This article will tell you about the top 10 clubs with longest unbeaten runs in 21st century, that is, since 2000.

Longest Unbeaten Runs

1. FC Porto – 58 games
2. Celtic – 56 games
3. FC Porto – 55 games
4. Bayern Munich – 53 games
5. FC Porto – 53 games
6. Juventus – 49 games
7. Arsenal – 49 games
8. Liverpool – 44 games
9. Barcelona – 43 games
10. Chelsea – 40 games

On Tuesday, SC Barga defeated FC Porto to end their 58 games unbeaten run in the Portuguese league Primeira Liga. They were just three wins away from finishing the season as The Invincibles.

However, FC Porto have made it clear to the other clubs to not underestimate them after setting a new record for longest unbeaten run football history. The last time the Portuguese club lost a league game was back in October 2020.

Also Read: Players With 100+ Goals In 2 Of The Top 5 Leagues

Only 6 clubs (AC Milan’s 58 games unbeaten record included) have been able to achieve the milestone for having gone more than 50 games unbeaten in football history.

As for Bayern Munich, things are getting serious after their star striker Robert Lewandowski wished to leave the club this summer. He has been in talks with the Spanish giants Barcelona for over two weeks now.

The Polish legend is ready to drop his salary demands for the Catalans. According to the reports, he will get an annual salary of 24 million euros at the Camp Nou. He wants a new challenge and so he wants to to play in a more competitive league like La Liga.

Lewandowski is inarguably one of the greatest strikers of this generation. However, Barcelona isn’t not the only club pursuing him this season. Let us tell you that AFC Ajax are also in the race for this world class signing.

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The mid-table team Bochum surprised everyone by winning 3-2 against their out-of-form rivals, handing the Bavarians their third loss in as many days.

With just 12 games left in the Bundesliga season, Bayern is currently eight points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, and head coach Tuchel is under increasing pressure.

CEO of the team Jan-Christian Dreesen did publicly endorse Tuchel, stating that he will lead them in their Saturday matchup against RB Leipzig.

However, a rumour from Corriere dello Sport indicates that Zinedine Zidane, the former manager of Real Madrid, has already been contacted regarding taking over as the current Bayern manager.

There have reportedly been discussions prior to Bayern’s match against Lazio in the round of 16 of the Champions League, a match that ultimately ended in defeat.

Zidane is ‘unclear’ if he would take the position immediately, but he would be Bayern’s preferred choice to replace Tuchel in the summer.

The highly acclaimed Zidane has been connected to several teams since departing Los Blancos in 2021, including Manchester United and Juventus.

The Frenchman stated in a June 2022 interview with Telefoot that he intended to get back into management.

“Am I still able to contribute things as a coach? Yes, many things, or I think at least some,” he said.

“I want to continue with that career because I still have the desire – it is my passion. I am 50 years old, fulfilled, I’m happy, that’s the most important thing.”

Later on, Zidane would explicitly rule out a possible transfer to England, saying to L’Equipe: “If I go to a club, it’s to win. I say this in all modesty. That’s why I can’t go anywhere. For other reasons, too, I might not be able to go everywhere. Which ones? The language, for example. Certain conditions make things more difficult.

“When people say to me: ‘Do you want to go to Manchester?’ I understand English but I don’t fully master it.

“I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently. To win, many elements come into play. It’s a global context. Me, I know what I need to win.”

According to the Corriere dello Sport article, half of the first team players oppose Tuchel and the locker room at Bayern is “getting out of hand” under his leadership.

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The German champions have advanced to the quarterfinals for three consecutive years and are ultimately seeking for a sixth European title, while the Serie A team is hoping to make its first quarterfinal appearance in 24 years.

Lazio’s domestic campaign hasn’t exactly gone as planned, but they’re back in the Champions League elimination round after a wild group stage campaign.

Due to an underlying inconsistency, the Biancocelesti, who finished second to Italian champions Napoli last season, are currently ninth in the Serie A rankings. They only halted a three-match winless streak last week with a victory at Cagliari, and they are five points outside of the top four.

With the exception of a 4 year ago loss to eventual champions Liverpool, Bayern has advanced from 11 of their last 12 last-16 matches. They are unbeaten in 12 Champions League meetings against Italian opposition.

After winning every game except one and finishing first in Group A with an eight-point lead, the German powerhouses are now concentrating on making it back to the latter stages.

Lazio vs Bayern Munich Match Details

Date: Thursday, 15 Feb 2024
Time: 1:30 AM IST
Location: Stadio Olimpico
TV: Sony Ten Network (India)
Live Stream: Sony LIV

Lineup Prediction

Even though Bayern isn’t playing at its most fluid right now, they have demonstrated their strength while touring Europe and have a flexible offensive line. Lazio’s recent vulnerability means that they will not be able to contain the Bavarians for ninety minutes; Maurizio Sarri’s team may need a massive upset to win after the second leg next month.

Lazio’s possible starting lineup: Provedel; Marusic, Romagnoli, Gila, Hysaj; Guendouzi, Rovella, Alberto; Isaksen, Immobile, Anderson

Bayern Munich’s possible starting lineup: Neuer; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Musiala; Kane

Dream11

Goalkeeper – Neuer

Defenders – Romagnoli, Gila, Kim, Guerreiro

Midfielders – Alberto, Kimmich, Goretzka

Attackers – Kane, Immobile, Sane

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