This tie could make a fairly gripping movie. A much maligned United side travel to the home of the conquerors of Germany and Europe. Battered, bruised and dishevelled from a miserable campaign in England, can the men of David “the Chosen One” Moyes conjure some of the spirit of Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson and achieve a Hollywood ending on another magical night in the annals of United’s European history? No. Not unless the movie in question is Titanic, with David Moyes playing the part of Captain Smith who nobly goes down with his ship after blithely sailing it into an iceberg.
Bayern have an enviable record at the Allianz-Arena, but not a perfect one. They have failed to record victories on four occasions in the last 16 months, against Arsenal (twice), Manchester City and plucky Hoffenheim. United have been mildly impressive on their travels recently, winning their past four Premier League games without conceding a goal. In fact they have accumulated more Premier League away points than any other team this season. Perhaps if they emulated Coventry and played their home fixtures at Sixfields they would have the title wrapped up by now? All jesting aside it is worth bearing in mind the last time they were in Germany (November 2013) they romped to a 5-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
In terms of absentees the quintessential German powerhouse Bastian Schweinsteiger seems to embody the power of the Bayern juggernaut, but he will have to sit on the sidelines after crashing into Rooney late in the first leg. He is a big miss for Bayern, and though they will have a more than adequate replacement with Mario Gotze, the protection afforded to the defence by Schweinsteiger will not be replaced, leaving United with a realistic hope of finding the net. As for United they are without Robin van Persie and Juan Mata, big misses for sure but the key will be the defence, and these two individuals offer little in this regard.
Arsenal kept a clean sheet in Munich last year, and United can achieve the same aim Wednesday night if they play to the same standard as at Old Trafford. Bayern enjoyed 76% of possession at Old Trafford but were limited to only one goal after Schweinsteiger capitalised on a brief lapse in concentration from the United back line. Should there be such a lapse in the return leg or a moment of brilliance from a Bayern player then David de Gea is a world class goalkeeper who is capable of performing miraculous saves. A United win will not be in the tips, but the case can be made for them to qualify by those eternal optimists who still have belief.
