The knockout stage of this season's Champions League begins in Italy for FC Bayern, as the German record champions take on Lazio in the round of 16. In our opposition profile, fcbayern.com examines the Rome club more closely.
Current form
Felipe Anderson helped Lazio to a 3-1 win at Cagliari on Saturday.
Lazio come into Wednesday's first leg on the back of a win on Saturday. Coach Maurizio Sarri's men claimed a 3-1 victory at Cagliari, with top scorer Ciro Immobile netting his 200th goal in Serie A. Overall Lazio are having a decent campaign, with 37 points from 23 games. They may not be within touching distance of the top three, but the capital club are still very much in the running for the fourth (Champions League qualifying) and fifth (Europa League qualifying) spots. They're also in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, and qualified for the last 16 in the Champions League by finishing second in Group E behind Atlético Madrid. It's the third time that the Biancocelesti have reached the knockout phase of Europe's premier club competition.
The squad: Ciro Immobile the talisman
Ciro Immobile is Lazio's goal-getter and leader.
The most well-known player in the Lazio squad is captain Immobile. The 33-year-old Italy international, whose previous clubs include Borussia Dortmund, has been key to the Rome club since 2016 as a goalscorer and leader. During his time in Rome, Immobile has been top scorer in Serie A in three seasons. With nine goals in all competitions term – including three in the Champions League – the striker is once again Lazio's main threat in attack.
Overall, Lazio boast a strong collective, with other household names such as Daichi Kamada (ex-Eintracht Frankfurt), Pedro (Barcelona, Chelsea) and Mattéo Guendouzi (Arsenal, Hertha BSC, Marseille). The Romans place a lot of emphasis on defensive solidity, as highlighted by the fact that their most frequent scoreline this season has been 1-0.
The coach: Maurizio Sarri
Maurizio Sarri has coached Lazio since 2021.
Sarri has been at the helm at Lazio since the start of the 2021/22 campaign. The 65-year-old is a hugely experienced coach, with a CV that includes Napoli (2015-2018), Chelsea (2018-2019) and Juventus (2019-2020). Sarri won the Europa League with Chelsea in 2019 and the Serie A title with Juve in 2020.
The stadium: Stadio Olimpico
The legendary Olimpico in Rome.
The Stadio Olimpico has served as the home stadium of both Lazio and AS Roma since 1953. The ground was actually constructed between 1927 and 1932. Following several expansions and renovations, it was reopened in 1960 for the Olympic Games in Italy's capital city. As well as the opening and closing ceremonies, the athletics events took place there. Bayern have appeared at the famous stadium on five occassions: four against Roma (W2 L2) and once against Lazio (win in the UCL round of 16 first leg 2021). The German national team have also enjoyed two major triumphs at the Olimpico: the European Championship in 1980 and the World Cup in 1990.
Last-16 reunion
Bayern celebrated a 4-1 win at Lazio in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 three years ago.
Bayern and Lazio have met twice before in the Champions League. The Munich men won both legs of the 2020/21 last-16 tie (4-1 in Rome, 2-1 in Munich). Jamal Musiala made history in the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico by becoming the youngest Bayern goalscorer in the competition three days before his 18th birthday, with a fine goal to make it 2-0.
The facts on the match at Lazio:
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