Bayern Munich: 6 Things We've Learned in Recent Weeks

It has been an eventful and contrasting season for David Moyes, Pep Guardiola and their respective clubs, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. When it comes to the Champions League knockout stage, the form books can be thrown to the wind.

Despite what you may have heard about Manchester United's lack of hope heading into Tuesday's quarter-final against Bayern Munich, there are certain things that have gone United's way in recent weeks that will only improve their chances of a result in the first-leg tie at Old Trafford. 

Whether that be Thiago Alcantara's knee injury or Dante's suspension, both bad news for Bayern, Manchester United are in a good position to get something from the game against the German champions.

The fact that the first game is in Old Trafford means Moyes' boys will have a chance to build confidence ahead of a trip to Munich later this month.

Bayern Munich clinched their second consecutive Bundesliga title last week and have seemingly relaxed a bit, so United couldn't be playing them at a better time.

Drawing conclusions from Bayern's last few games in the Bundesliga, here are six things that Manchester United must do or that United fans must know heading into the fixture.

A Little Bit of Belief Can Go a Long Way

Markus Schreiber

Bayern Munich are the cream of the crop this year.

It might sound very primitive and simplistic, but the notion that Bayern Munich are some kind of superhuman team that can not be pressured into mistakes or frustrated into losing shape must be put to bed. 

Arsenal asked questions of them in the first 20 minutes of their first-leg tie in the Champions League, which culminated in a missed penalty that could have change the complexion of their whole season had it gone in.

German outfit Mainz FC asked several questions of Bayern Munich in their recent Bundesliga fixture despite losing 2-0. Mainz could have won it if they had the quality and belief needed to capitalise on Bayern's mistakes.

In comparison, Bayern captured the Bundesliga title in a game against Hertha Berlin last week in which they had 82 percent of possession, per WhoScored.com.

It would seem that Hertha Berlin were defeated prior to taking to the field, and if United are to stand a chance, they must first believe that they can beat the defending champions.

Needless to say, Manchester United can not sit back and let Bayern get a grip on the game early. It should be seen as a war of attrition. The further the game goes without Bayern scoring, the more questions they will ask of themselves and the more United will grow in confidence.

If Moyes' boys didn't have enough motivation to attack Munich, Arjen Robben's recent comments should help, as reported by Simon Mullock of the Daily Mirror.

Thiago Alcantara's Absence Changes the Look of This Squad

Gero Breloer

Thiago Alcantara's absence will change the dynamic of Bayern Munich's midfield.

Thiago Alcantara was replaced after 25 minutes of Bayern Munich's recent 3-3 draw with Hoffenheim, with a knee injury that will keep him out of both ties against Manchester United.

His slick, calming presence will be missed against Manchester United in a midfield that could now be in trouble. What is more worrying for Die Bayern is that his replacements, or lack thereof, are not convincing in the holding midfield role.

He was replaced by Phillip Lahm, who occupied the position in his absence.

The problem is that Pep Guardiola has not played Lahm in this position in any important game all year, and by taking Lahm out of his preferred right back position, you are creating a problem at the back that is not easily fixed.

Given the fragile nature of Bayern's defence with the absence of Dante, taking Lahm out of the back four seems unlikely, but might be necessary, with Rafinha stepping in for Lahm at right back if the move is made.

Javi Martinez, who has only played as a defensive midfielder once in his last six games for Bayern has struggled this year with injury and lack of playing time.

Manchester United have struggled under David Moyes this year, but Pep Guardiola will not risk playing a Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger partnership in this area as it is too attacking for a game of such magnitude in Old Trafford.

With Wayne Rooney in such good form recently, United should have one eye on controlling the game from this area of the field. 

Bayern Munich Have a Problem at Centre-Back

Matthias Schrader

Daniel van Buyten will likely replace the suspended Dante.

In recent weeks, Pep Guardiola has experimented with his back four, whether to rest his starters or trying out different pairings. His recent experiments at centre back have struggled.

Daniel Van Buyten does not have the speed at 36 years old to compete with quicker strikers. He struggled against Hoffenheim's high-speed attacking players and could struggle against Manchester United.

A feature of Bayern Munich's play is that they do allow teams to create chances. We saw this against Hoffenheim, who had 20 chances to Bayern's 11, per WhoScored. 

Jerome Boateng and Dante are the two best central defenders in the squad, but Dante is suspended for the trip to Old Trafford, while Javi Martinez will likely play in defensive midfield.

This leaves Van Buyten and Boateng as the likely pair to face the Red Devils. Van Buyten has only played three times in Bayern's last 12 league games and hasn't featured in the Champions League since Bayern beat Viktoria Plzen in November, per Transfermarkt.co.uk.

With Rooney calling the shots from attacking midfield, there will be chances for the Red Devils in this tie.

Counter-Attacking Can Be Very Effective Against Bayern Munich

Matthias Schrader

Manuel Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Unlike Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, Bayern will try to beat you in different ways and are slightly more direct, which means they lose possession more often, making transitions of play more important when they occur.

A slow, languid build-up against Bayern will play right into their hands and must be avoided at all costs. A quick counter-attacking game can cause problems. The absence of Juan Mata might be looked upon as a blessing, as his lack of speed can be detrimental to a counter-attacking game. 

His possible replacement, Antonio Valencia, has an abundance of speed and the kind of work rate needed against Bayern.

Bayern Munich play a very high defensive line with Manuel Neuer acting as a virtual "sweeper keeper," darting off his line at the first sign of trouble.

The fact that Bayern's style consists of dominating possession in their opponents' half means they are sometimes switched off when the ball is turned over and transitions of play occur. It is imperitive that David Moyes selects his quickest front line to get in behind Bayern at every opportunity.

In Bayern's recent game against Mainz the latter were caught offside eight times, per WhoScored, in what came down to poor execution of running the line. But it can be a successful tactic if it is executed correctly.

Players like Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck who do a great job of running the line and taking risks in behind defences could be very effective in negating Neuer's presence in Bayern's goal. 

Pressing High Must Be Carried out to Pefection

Matthias Schrader

Pressing high against Bayern Munich has to be executed correctly.

A good pressing game can cause untold problems to any team on any given day. Bayern Munich are no different.

With the talent in the squad and the speed at which they can move the ball forward, especially on the right-hand side of the field, an unsuccessful press where players get drawn to the ball can mean lightning-fast damage done by Bayern's lethal attacking players.

With a ball-playing defender like Jerome Boateng able to play the ball out of the back and Bayern having full confidence in using Manuel Neuer, Manchester United's press will have to be perfect if it is to be effective. 

Bayern get the ball to the wings fast in two-on-one situations, which creates a free man who generally pushes forward at breakneck speed. Bayern end up punishing their opponents more often than not.

If Manchester United go man-to-man and leave Manuel Neuer, it negates the possibility of free men out in the field and causes the German international to hoof the ball forward. 

Bayern are not the most physical team, and aerial duels are one area where they struggle on a consistent basis.

Manchester United Must Not Dive in Against Bayern's Speedy Wingers

Rui Vieira

Patrice Evra will be a huge loss for Manchester United.

Another fundamental of playing football, but it is vital against Bayern's speedy wingers.

Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery rarely shoot first time, preferring instead to twist and turn in an effort to buy themselves space and time inside the box.

Given United's shoddy defensive record of late and their having conceded three penalties against arch-rivals Liverpool in the league recently, this is of the utmost importance to their chances in this game.

A lazy tackle and an early penalty could put this game beyond their reach before it even gets going.

Bayern rank second in the Bundesliga this year in goals from set pieces with 21. They have scored eight goals from crossed free-kicks, which is tops in the league, and have converted a further five goals from penalties, per Squawka.

David Moyes gave Patrice Evra the day off against Aston Villa, bringing in Alexander Buttner in an effort to embed the Dutch defender into the team ahead of the Champions League tie on Tuesday night, given the fact that Evra is suspended.

Bayern attack down the right-hand side of the pitch 39 percent of the time and will try to isolate Buttner with their talisman Arjen Robben, who is as elusive as he is quick.

The stopping of Bayern's wingers is going to play a huge part in the winning and losing of this game. If Manchester United chose to dive in first time, they will pay the price.