Homecoming for Vidal and Coman as Bayern Munich Face Tall Task in Juventus

Bayern Munich were given a tough draw on Monday as they were paired with Juventus in the Champions League round of 16. Aside perhaps from PSG, it was arguably the toughest tie the Bundesliga leaders could face, taking on last year's runners-up and the four-time defending Serie A champions.

Compared with recent pairings, Bayern will find harder opposition in Juve than in the last four years. Since facing then-holders Inter in 2011, Basel, Arsenal (twice) and Shakhtar have been Bayern's opponents. And none have come with a pedigree like the Italian giants, who finished runners-up in Group D, a point behind winners Manchester City.

Granted, Bayern will face a very different Juve side from that which reached the 2015 final. Key players like Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal have since left Turin, the latter for Bayern. But Massimiliano Allegri has brought in some quality since, including Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro, Sami Khedira, Hernanes, loanee Juan Cuadrado and former Bayern man Mario Mandzukic. And although they struggled earlier this season, the Italian giants have climbed to fourth in the Serie A table, their new signings having apparently settled more and the team adapted to new personnel. Juve now have to be considered among contenders for the Italian title, with just a six-point gap between them and current leaders Inter.

The tie will be especially interesting for Vidal and Mandzukic as they face their former clubs, and Kingsley Coman as he takes on the side from which he was loaned over the summer. The Chilean played in Turin from 2011-15 before being sold to Bayern, where he's stepped in for recently sold Bastian Schweinsteiger.

According to Italian football journalist David Amoyal, Juve's management considers the Vidal sale a "masterpiece," and in fairness, the midfielder hasn't yet hit top form in Munich. That may change after the winter break, though, and he'll have a point to prove as he returns to Turin.

Similarly, Mandzukic will have extra reason to be motivated as he faces Bayern and former coach Pep Guardiola. The striker, who scored the opener for Bayern in the 2013 Champions League final, had a rocky relationship with Guardiola before leaving the Allianz Arena in the summer of 2014. Last fall, Mandzukic claimed (according to ESPN's Dermot Corrigan) that Guardiola had treated him with a lack of respect, benching him out of spite to avoid the player earning the Bundesliga's top scorer honors. The Croatia international has an immense work rate and a knack for doing anything needed to win, and he will be a fearsome opponent for Bayern.

Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Finally, the tie will offer Coman a chance to prove that he took the right decision in his development in moving to Munich, where, at the age of 19, he's already made big strides in his career. Filling in for oft-injured starters, he's already made 17 appearances this season, three fewer than for Juve over the course of the entire 2014-15 season and for nearly twice as many minutes already. A goal or two would show the Italians what they're missing.

Bayern and Juve have a rich history in the Champions League, having won the competition a combined seven times. The Bavarians indeed face a tough task, and one that will be particularly interesting and testy due to the history of players like Vidal, Mandzukic and Coman. But as the saying goes, you have to beat the best to be the best. If history is any indicator, the tie is a good thing for Bayern: The last time they faced Juve, in the quarter-finals in 2013, the Germans won both legs 2-0 and went on to win the final.

@Mr_Bundesliga