"Bayern are well ahead of Chelsea": Germany champions backed to knock Blues out of Champions League

Former Bayern midfielder Lothar Matthaus thinks the German club are the favorites beat Chelsea in the Champions League knockout stages. Frank Lampard's side will face Bayern at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their last 16 tie on Tuesday night, with both sides having won their last league games. Chelsea defeated Tottenham with a 2-1 score on Saturday, while the Germany champions could celebrate their 3 - 2 win over Paderborn and remain on the top of the Bundesliga table. Matthaus believes his former club will progress in the Champions League, when playing against Frank Lampard's "young team". He told German publication AZ:"Bayern is the clear favourite. This is no longer the big Chelsea from the past with players like Michael Ballack, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. It is a very young team that has undergone a change. Therefore I assume that Bayern will reach the next round with two good performances. In terms of quality, Bayern is well ahead of Chelsea. In the Premier League, the Blues are only fourth, more than 30 points behind Liverpool. N'Golo Kante is also injured. Overall, the team no longer has the shine of earlier days. Since Flick has been coach, Bayern have been quiet. This is comparable to the [Jupp] Heynckes period. The club and the entire environment have moved closer together. This is transferred to the fans and the team. Hansi has a good feel for a team, he is great in human and communicative terms. I think three titles are possible, but everything has to fit. It is important that Lucas Hernandez and Kingsley Coman are in top shape to give the team more quality. There are now options in the squad again, strong players can also come from the squad. Bayern 2013 treble-winning side also recognised this."

Source: Goal.com

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