The Champions League group stage is starting to approach its finish, and Bayern Munich have already all but secured advancement to the knockout rounds. At nine points, they need only one solitary point to guarantee advancement, and a win would lock up the top spot in the group and a seeded place in the knockout round draw.
Bayern Munich vs. Olympiacos 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch Champions League online
A win over Olympiacos would guarantee that Bayern win their Champions League group.
Of course, Olympiacos are right up there with them, having also won three of their group matches. Twice they beat Dinamo Zagreb, and a shock upset over Arsenal put them in a strong position heading into the final stretch. A draw with Bayern would be the ideal result for both teams, putting them both through to the knockout rounds, but don’t expect Bayern to just lie down and let that result come. If Olympiacos play a great game and the Greek team earn a draw, that’s one thing, but Bayern aren’t just going to settle for the bare minimum -- they’re going to look to put another thumping on Olympiacos after beating them 3-0 in Greece in September.
Key player -- Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich)
When it comes to Bayern players, everyone always talks about Lewandowski, or Robbem or Costa, or Coman, or Vidal, or Alba, or, or, or... There’s a lot of stars in this Bayern team, but Müller often gets forgotten. Maybe it’s because he’s been at Bayern forever. Maybe it’s because he’s never been “the” star. Either way, he’s rarely been given full credit for just how fantastically good he’s been this season. He’s quietly been every bit as good as Lewandwoski at scoring goals this season, with 18 goals in 18 all-competitions matches so far. He plays off everyone in this team so well that it doesn’t matter where he’s deployed, he’ll be a constant threat.
Key matchup -- Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich) vs. Pajtim Kasami (Olympiacos)
Vidal's had an up-and-down season for Bayern since joining from Juventus, but he'll need to be on his game today. Kasami represents a solid attacking threat for Olympiacos for Vidal to contend with, but when Bayern are in possession he'll be buzzing around looking to disrupt the German side's passing game. Vidal will need to try to use his own sky-high work rate to keep Kasami away from Xabi Alonso and whoever else joins them in the middle of the pitch, something he's familiar with after spending several years protecting Andrea Pirlo in Juventus' midfield.
Bayern Munich injuries and suspensions
Out: Juan Bernat, Mario Götze, Franck Ribéry, Thiago Alcantara In doubt: David Alaba
Olympiacos injuries and suspensions
Out: Alejandro Dominguez, Giannis Maniatis In doubt: Alberto Botia, Andreas Bouchalakis
While Bayern’s injuries are tough, especially with both of their main choices at left back hurt, Olympiacos will desperately miss Dominguez and Maniatis. The pair really help anchor Olympiacos both in attack and defense, respectively, lending them significant support and quality from midfield in every phase of the game.
Match date/time: Tues., 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Allianz-Arena, Münich, Germany
TV: Fox Deportes (US - Spanish), Sky Sport 1 (Germany), OTE Sport 2 (Greece), BT Sport Extra (U.K.)
Online: ESPN 3, Fox Soccer 2 Go (US), Sky Go Deutschland (Germany), BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K.)
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