Champions League
2012-10-02 - BATE Borisov vs Bayern Munich
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: European Champions League
Tuesday 2 October 2012 - Kick Off 7:45pm
This game is live on TV
BATE Borisov
BATE Borisov have regularly become a feature in the Champions League, but they have rarely threatened to make it beyond the Group Stage although that might not be the case this time around if their first match is anything to go by. They remain the top team in the Belarusian domestic League which they lead by 4 points and also have a game in hand to play.
The team have been in good form recently and they are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions coming into this one and they have won 5 of their last 6 games. BATE won at Lille in their opening Group game during that run of games and they will be looking to their form at home to help them challenge for a last 16 berth. They are unbeaten in 7 here and have won 4 of those games.
They have gone unbeaten in their last 7 games in the Champions League this season to progress to the Group Stage and then recorded that fantastic win in France to open the Group in the best possible way. BATE haven't won a home game in the Champions League Group Stage in 6 attempts to do so, while they have lost 4 of those games.
There are no new injury worries for the squad.
Bayern Munich
Twice in the last three years, Bayern Munich have reached the Final of the Champions League and on both occasions they have come up short. They have not suffered from a hangover of losing the Final last season as they have won all 9 games they have played in all competitions and lead the Bundesliga.
A 2-1 win over Valencia was far easier than the final scoreline suggested and they have followed that win with three more, all coming by way of clean sheets. Bayern Munich have also won all 4 away games they have played so far this season.
They are one of the favourites to win the Champions League for a good reason, although I think they will want to be a little more solid in their away games. Bayern have actually won just 1 of their last 5 away games in the competition and they were beaten in 3 of their last 4 including a surprising 1-0 defeat in Basel.
Arjen Robben will be missing and he will be joined by Mario Gomez and David Alaba in remaining in Germany.
Head to Head
This will be the first competitive meeting between BATE Borisov and Bayern Munich.
Prediction
Bayern Munich are one of the leading contenders to win the Champions League this season so it is no surprise they are priced so low to win this game in BATE Borisov, but it could be a lot tougher than people may imagine on first viewing.
BATE were excellent in their win over Lille in the first set of Group games and they fully deserved the three points. They have a poor record in the Group Stage of the Champions League, particularly at home, but that is down to the fact that they are one of the lower seeded teams and will have a tough Group until they improve their ranking.
They have lost 4 of 6 Group games at home, but I will send out a little caution here and remind readers that they did avoid defeat against Juventus and Milan here, while Bayern Munich's recent away record in the Champions League is hardly inspiring.
In saying that, Bayern have clearly been playing a much higher level of opposition in those games with the only really surprising result being the loss to Basel. Usually they are fairly good at dispatching the weaker teams at the Group Stage and should be fully focused on securing the win that will give them a stranglehold on the Group.
Instead of backing Bayern at the handicaps or outright markets, they will become the third team I back this week to win an away game to nil as I like a few statistics pointing that way and the 2.63 being offered by Ladbrokes looks remarkably generous.
BATE's 4 home losses at the Group Stage have all seen them fail to score, including against Real Madrid and Barcelona, while Bayern have kept 4 straight clean sheets away from home this season, all in winning efforts.
Bayern Munich's 3 away wins in the Champions League last season all came with a clean sheet, while their last 5 and 6 of the last 7 away wins in the Champions League have all been to nil too.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
BATE Borisov 0-1 Bayern Munich
