Manchester City vs Bayern Munich prediction, odds and preview

On Tuesday, Manchester City will host Bayern Munich in the opening leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal, bringing the champions of England and Germany together at the Etihad.

Both teams have had trouble defending their respective domestic championships this season, despite playing nearly flawlessly in Europe.

During their early years in the Champions League, City faced Bayern frequently. They won two of their three encounters at the Etihad, with their lone loss occurring when Pep Guardiola, their current manager, was managing the German powerhouses on the road.

Although leading the Bundesliga, Bayern has been even less convincing at home than City, and Thomas Tuchel’s inconsistent leadership has added to the strain on this matchup.

Bayern has only preserved six clean sheets in their previous 16 games, giving up two or more goals on five occasions. One of Tuchel’s key priorities will be to tighten up Bayern’s defense.

This raises questions as they are ready to play against what is undoubtedly the best-attacking team in Europe, who are currently on a goal-scoring spree behind a particular prolific forward at the top of the pitch.

Tuchel has experience in this competition though, having been to the Champions League finals in both 2020 and 2021.

He defeated Guardiola’s City team with Chelsea in the 2021 final, just a few weeks after doing the same to them in the FA Cup semifinals.