Liverpool vs Bayern Munich
Uefa Champions League 2018-19 | Round of 16, first leg
Venue: Anfield
Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Kick-off: 8pm GMT
European heavyweights Liverpool and Bayern Munich lock horns at Anfield on Tuesday night in arguably the most eagerly-anticipated Champions League last-16 clash.
The hosts secured their spot in the first knockout phase in dramatic fashion as a goal from Mohamed Salah and a terrific late Alisson stop sealed a 1-0 win over Napoli and the runner-up spot behind Paris Saint-Germain in Group C.
Liverpool have taken advantage of the gap in the fixture list to embark upon their second warm-weather training camp of 2019 already. After heading to Dubai in January, this time they chose the sunny climes of Marbella on Spain's Costa del Sol.
Bayern enjoyed an easier route to the last 16, going undefeated en route to topping a group that also contained Ajax, Benfica and AEK Athens.
Having won each of the last six Bundesliga titles, the Bavarians have trailed Borussia Dortmund for much of this season but have cut the gap on BVB to two points as the title race heats up in Germany.
Liverpool vs Bayern team news and predicted line-ups
Jurgen Klopp must wait on late fitness tests for Liverpool duo Dejan Lovren and Xherdan Shaqiri before deciding whether the pair can feature.
Lovren has not featured for the Reds since sustaining a hamstring injury during their FA Cup defeat to Wolves in early January.
Shaqiri, meanwhile, has been battling with an abdominal strain that forced him to miss out on the recent 3-0 victory over Bournemouth.
The hosts will, however, be able to call upon Georginio Wijnaldum, who overcame a bout of illness to train alongside his teammates last week.
With Joe Gomez still absent following leg surgery, Virgil van Dijk suspended, and Lovren’s involvement unclear, Fabinho is expected to once again fill in at centre-back.
But the defence should be boosted by the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is fit again after overcoming a recent knee issue.
Otherwise, only long-term absentees Rhian Brewster and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are set to miss out.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Matip, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Keita, Salah, Mane, Firmino.
As for Bayern, captain Manuel Neuer is expected to be fit after missing games against Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke with a thumb issue.
Corentin Tolisso (ACL tear) has been out since September, while Arjen Robben's last game was in November. He has been bothered by a persistent thigh injury.
Thomas Muller will miss both legs against Liverpool after his appeal against a red card received in the final group game against Ajax for a challenge on Nicolas Tagliafico was dismissed.
Kingsley Coman is also a doubt after limping off against Augsburg, with Franck Ribery set to fill that attacking role.
Bayern Munich XI (4-3-3): Neuer, Kimmich, Hummels, Sule, Alaba, Goretzka, Thiago, James, Ribery, Gnabry, Lewandowski
Score prediction: Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
Bayern conceded only five times in six matches during the group stage, but Liverpool are a formidable scoring force at Anfield and their chances of keeping a clean sheet to take back to Munich seem very slim indeed.
There are plenty of goals in both teams and Robert Lewandowski will fancy his chances of exploiting a significantly understrength home defence to add to his tally of eight scored in this year's tournament so far.
Liverpool vs Bayern Munich tickets
To check ticket availability click here to head to Liverpool's website.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Liverpool to win: 23/20
- Draw: 11/4
- Bayern to win: 5/2
- 2-2 draw: 10/1
- Over 3.5 goals: 31/20
First goalscorer odds
- Robert Lewandowski: 4/1
- Mohamed Salah: 4/1
- Sadio Mane: 11/2
- Serge Gnabry: 9/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog at Anfield.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
The two sides have met on only five previous occasions and boast a win each, with three draws.
Their last contest came 18 years ago, when Liverpool became the first English club to win five trophies in a calendar year with a 3-2 victory in the Uefa Super Cup in Monaco.
John Arne Riise, Emile Heskey and Michael Owen all scored for Gerard Houllier's Uefa Cup holders at the Stade Louis II, while goals from Bayern duo Hasan Salihamidzic and Carsten Jancker were not enough to force extra-time.
They also squared off in the 1981 European Cup semi-finals and in the 1971-72 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals.
