FC Rostov vs Bayern Munich
UEFA Champions League – Group D
Date: Wednesday, 23rd November, 2016,
Kick-Off at 17:00 UK,
Venue: Stadion Olimp 2, Rostov-on-Don.
After a 5-0 defeat at Bayern München on matchday one, debutants Rostov will be keen to make it more of a contest when they face the Bundesliga champions on home soil.
FC Rostov host five-time winners FC Bayern München looking to put up rather more resistance than they managed when the clubs met in Bavaria on matchday one.
• Bayern beat Rostov 5-0 to spoil the Russian newcomers’ UEFA Champions League debut but though they remain without a win in Group D, Ivan Daniliants’ men are growing in experience and would have taken a point at Club Atlético de Madrid last time out but for a 93rd-minute goal.
As for Bayern, they secured their place in the round of 16 for the ninth season running when winning 2-1 at PSV Eindhoven on matchday four.
Match background
Rostov
• Rostov were unbeaten at home for 26 matches in all competitions prior to succumbing 1-0 to Atlético in their last Group D outing at the Olimp 2 Stadium.
• Third in the section, they retain hope of European football after Christmas but will not want to slip behind bottom-placed PSV before their matchday six visit to the Netherlands.
• Prior to this season, last season’s Russian Premier-Liga runners-up had played just ten European matches in their entire history – two fewer than Bayern contested in 2015/16.
Bayern
• Bayern are second in the Group D standings, three points behind Atlético. They last failed to qualify as group winners in 2009/10.
• Thomas Müller scored from the penalty spot on Bayern’s last two visits to Russia – UEFA Champions League group stage matches against PFC CSKA Moskva in 2013/14 (won 3-1) and 2014/15 (won 1-0).
• Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribéry are survivors of Bayern’s 4-0 loss at FC Zenit in the 2008 UEFA Cup semi-finals – their only defeat in nine previous trips to Russia (W5, D3).
Coach and player links
• Home coach Danilants faced Germany in UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying during his time in charge of Moldova’s national team and lost both at home (1-3) and away (1-6).
• Carlo Ancelotti’s first taste of UEFA competition was as an Italy Under-21 player in a 3-1 defeat in the Soviet Union in April 1980. Eight years later he was in the Italy side beaten 2-0 by the USSR in the semi-final of the 1988 UEFA European Championship.
• Ancelotti was in charge of the Juventus side who beat Rostov 4-0 away and 5-1 at home in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup – the Russian club’s debut appearance in European competition.
• Ancelotti enjoyed victories on both of his previous visits to Russia in the UEFA Champions League: 1-0 at FC Lokomotiv Moskva with AC Milan in the 2002/03 second group stage; 2-0 at FC Spartak Moskva with Chelsea FC in the 2010/11 group stage.
• Kingsley Coman hit his first goal for France in a 4-2 friendly defeat of Russia on 29 March this year.
• Arturo Vidal and Christian Noboa faced off in the opening game of the 2015 Copa América, Bayern’s Chilean midfielder scoring in the tournament hosts’ 2-0 victory over Noboa’s Ecuador.
• Ribéry scored twice for France in a 4-2 FIFA World Cup qualifying win away to Timofei Kalachev’s Belarus in September 2013. Kalachev hit his side’s second goal.
• On 11 November Robert Lewandowski scored twice in Poland’s 3-0 win away against Romania, for whom Andrei Prepeliţă came on as a half-time substitute.
Match facts
Rostov
• Rostov equalled their biggest victory of the season when they defeated FC Arsenal Tula 4-1 on 6 November, Aleksandr Erokhin scoring twice.
• Aleksandr Gatskan’s equaliser against Georgia on 12 November secured Moldova their first point in Group D of the European Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup.
• Miha Mevlja scored his first international goal as Slovenia drew 1-1 with Poland in a friendly on 14 November.
• Soslan Dzhanaev left the Russia squad with a shoulder injury after the 2-1 defeat in Qatar on 10 November but played in Friday’s goalless draw at FC Rubin.
• Aleksandr Bukharov, out since 9 September, returned to the side as a late substitute at Rubin.
Bayern
• Lahm will incur a suspension with his next booking.
• Bayern were eight matches unbeaten in all competitions, winning five, prior to Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund.
• Robert Lewandowski was on target twice for Poland in a 3-0 win against Romania in the European Qualifiers for the World Cup. Lewandowski has scored 21 goals in his last 20 games for club and country.
• On 13 November, Arjen Robben opened the scoring for the Netherlands in their 3-1 victory against Luxembourg but was substituted at half-time with a thigh problem.
• Coman suffered knee and ankle injuries in France training on 9 November and will be out for the rest of the year.
• Javi Martínez has not played since 29 October because of a thigh injury and, along with Robben and Vidal (fitness), was left out of the squad for the game in Dortmund.
• Manuel Neuer and Lewandowski are on the 23-man shortlist for the Best FIFA Men’s Player 2016 award, the winner of which is announced on 9 January.
FC Rostov vs Bayern Munich: Head-to-head Stats
The first leg clash on matchday 1 was the first ever competitive meeting between FC Rostov and Bayern Munich. Joshua Kimmich was the start of the show with 2 goals to his name in the 5-0 rout for the Bundesliga champions.
Bayern Munich can boast of a good record against sides from Russia in UEFA competitions. They bagged 11 wins and 6 draws from 19 matches and were defeated only twice. Their record in previous 9 visits to Russia is 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat.
Carlo Ancelotti have previously met FC Rostov as a head-coach while he was in charge of Juventus during the 1999 Intertoto Cup. Juventus won both legs – 5-1 at home and 4-0 in the away fixture.
FC Rostov vs Bayern Munich: Prediction
FC Rostov must consider this as the perfect time to face the German heavy weights Bayern Munich. The Carlo Ancelotti managed side has dropped points in their last two league games with the latest ending in a 1-0 defeat to their bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund. They are not at their usual best since the beginning of the season and very vulnerable while playing away from home. This was also evident in their narrow 2-1 away win in Champions League against a struggling PSV side.
Rostov on the other hand are a side with plenty of fighting spirit especially when the games is played at their home ground. They were unbeaten in 26 home games in all competitions prior to the 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on matchday 3. With Bayern coming on the back of an inconsistent run and home crowd getting behind them, we can expect the minnows to put on an excellent show.
To conclude, Bayern might eventually get their win, but this will be only by a narrow 1 goal margin. If you willing to bet on this game maybe you would like to place a bet in this online casino site too.
FC Rostov vs Bayern Munich: Bet Tips
Asian Handicap – FC Rostov +1.5 at 2.15.
