Bayern And Inter At Season Precipice

22 February 2012

Two giants of European football stumble into the Champions League tonight, desperate for positive results to lift their creaky seasons.

Inter Milan are having a shocker to say the least. The losses and pressure are mounting, and they find themselves in seventh place in the Serie A, 14 daunting points behind the leaders.

The Champions League offers them a reprieve from their domestic woes, but while they progressed to the last-16 as group winners, they were hardly convincing.

Two losses, including a shock home defeat to Turkish minnows Trabzonspor, increased the impression that the Nerazzurri are a spent force, and they will be up against it against gritty French campaigners Marseille tonight.

Marseille too have had a disappointing season. But they are on the rise as opposed to Inter, and will be feeling far more confident ahead of the game thanks to the Italian club’s travails, than they were when the draw was made.

Inter badly need a soft result to cushion their tortured heads on, but that may not be forthcoming in the notoriously atmospheric Stade Velodrome tonight.

Bayern Munich are in a similar position to Inter, and are jittery ahead of their own last-16 tie at Basel.

The Swiss team, buoyed by their humiliation of Manchester United, are smelling Bavarian blood. They know they will never have a better opportunity to defeat their illustrious opponents.

Bayern started the season on fire, but something is not right behind the scenes at the Allianz Arena. Arjen Robben is said to be unhappy, and key player Bastian Schweinsteiger is injured.

Where they had looked a sure bet for the Bundesliga title, Bayern have now slipped behind Borussia Dortmund and badly need a solid win tonight to put them back on a winning wicket.

It was not supposed to be this way for continental giants like Bayern and Inter. The last-16 of the Champions League is not quite the business end for serial finalists of their ilk. But their current domestic woes ensure tonight’s clashes have extra spice about them.