There may not be much for Bayern Munich to prove or gain when they play FK Rostov in Russia on Wednesday in the Champions League, but their hosts have plenty on the line. While they’ve earned just one point in Europe so far this fall and cannot advance the Champions League knockout rounds, they still have a shot at making the Europa League — a shot that would be much improved by getting something out of this match.
Bayern Munich vs. Rostov 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
Rostov are hosting a juggernaut in Bayern Munich, but they need to win if they don’t want their European campaign to end.
That’s going to be a tall order for the struggling Russian side, though — when Rostov played Bayern in Germany, they lost by a staggering 5-0 scoreline. That loss, which came in mid-September, sent Rostov’s form spinning into mediocrity, earning only three wins since then in all competitions.
They’ll need to overcome that form, though, if they want to give themselves a chance at heading to the Europa League in the spring. A win could all but guarantee that they advance from the group over Dutch side PSV, though even a draw could prove advantageous for when the two teams tied on a single point square off in the final match of the group in December.
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sky Sport 1 HD (Germany), Belarus 5, Match TV Game (Russia)
Online: Fox Soccer 2GO, Fox Sports Go, ESPN3, WatchESPN (U.S.), Sky Go Deutschland (Germany), NTV+ Sport Online (Russia)
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 12 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. local
Venue: Stadion Olimp 2, Rostov-na-Donu, Russia
Three big things to know
- Bayern Munich have one big hole in their squad on top of the injuries they’ve already been dealing with: goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is out with a calf injury. Sven Ulreich will start in his place, and while he’s a perfectly solid goalkeeper in his own right, he’s not nearly on the same level of dependability or quality that Neuer is. He’s never dealt with sustained pressure in the run of play well, and if there’s going to be one chance for Rostov to get something out of this match and put themselves into a position to move on to the Europa League this spring, it will be to put as much pressure on Ulreich as they can, especially early in the match before he has a chance to settle in.
- Of course, there’s nothing major at stake for Bayern in this match. They already know they’re in the Champions League next season, and the chances of them overtaking Atletico Madrid for the top spot in the group is slim, as it would rely on PSV beating them on Wednesday -- something that doesn’t look likely. So don’t expect them to push overly hard — they’re already dealing with injury woes, and won’t want to exacerbate those problems.
- That said, they should still be able to beat Rostov handily, even in Russia. Rostov are in poor form, winning just one match in their last seven, a span including four losses and being held scoreless five times. Add that to the one lonely point they’ve earned in the group so far, and Bayern should be able to walk away with a win with relative ease.
See More:
