Bayern-Lyon: Champions League Semifinal Continues at Allianz Arena

After the first of two matchups in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal was resolved yesterday at the San Siro with Inter Milan moving within 90 minutes of the Champions League final with a 3-1 win over Barcelona, it is now time for the second matchup.

That second matchup is at the Allianz Arena in Munich, where Bayern Munich will take on Lyon in what should prove to be a great Champions League semifinal.

For Bayern Munich to get here, they had to squeak out of Group A before beating both Fiorentina and Manchester United on away goals to make their first Champions League semifinal since 2001 which, coincidentally, is the last time they won the Champions League.

Meanwhile for Lyon, this is the first time in their history that they were able to get this far in the Champions League, but they have proven that they are worthy of making the semifinals after getting through the likes of Liverpool, Fiorentina, Real Madrid, and Bordeaux already this season.

And now that Lyon were able to get to Munich despite the recent ash storm from the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland, we are ready to go in this memorable matchup.

Here is a preview of this match for both sides, which consists of recent storylines, what to expect from each side, the players to watch, the keys for victory and, of course, my prediction.

Bayern Munich

After beating Manchester United on away goals in the quarterfinal, Bayern have primarily focused on the Bundesliga as they look to win their first league title since 2008.

This has been evident by the fact that Bayern were able to beat Hannover over the weekend by a 7-0 score and currently hold a two-point lead in the Bundesliga.

Bayern will have Franck Ribery available despite his slight knock and the personal problems that he currently has in France, but they will be without Mark van Bommel and Holger Badstuber through suspension.

In this match, you can expect Bayern to come out in a true attacking mindset, as they will look to build off their seven-goal performance over the weekend, and of course they will be facing a Lyon side that will not be 100 percent due to the ash.

Also with the home-crowd advantage here in the first leg, Bayern will be looking to get off to a great start for their home fans at the Allianz Arena.

The player to watch in this matchup will be Arjen Robben, who is getting hot at the right time. He has scored 15 goals in his last 16 matches and will certainly have a major impact on who wins here.

The main key for victory in this match will be for Bayern to get that early goal, as it will set the entire tone of the match and it will certainly set back Lyon.

Lyon

After disposing of Bordeaux in the quarterfinal, Lyon are back to business in the Champions League, where they are closer to the final than at any other time in their history.

Right now, Lyon find themselves in third place in Ligue One, so there is added emphasis to do well in the Champions League.

But with the recent outfall of ash over Europe, Lyon were not able to fly to Munich for this matchup. Instead, they had to take coach buses to get into Germany, but expect them to overcome this minor deficit in this matchup.

In this game, Lyon will most likely have both Jean Makoun and Maxime Gonalons after passing their fitness tests prior to the match.

But Lyon will be without Dejan Lovren, Mathieu Bodmer, and Jean-Alain Boumsong for a variety of different reasons.

You will most likely see Lyon allowing Bayern to control the beginning of the match, which has been a major key for Lyon's success, as they are a side that likes to score late in matches.

If Lyon will be able to hold off Bayern for the first half, they will most likely get either a win or draw at the Allianz Arena.

The key here for Lyon is to just make sure that Hugo Lloris has another fantastic performance. He has had a fantastic year in the Champions League as the whispers of a possible move away from France get louder.

Prediction

Despite the fact that Lyon have been great away from home in the Champions League this season, I do not see them having another great performance to start off here in the first leg.

The primary reason why I believe this is that the ash cloud and the problems with traveling are just too much (which we saw with Barcelona at the San Siro in the other Champions League matchup this week).

And also with Bayern's great form at home this season, I see Bayern Munich winning this match by a 2-0 score.