Bayern Munich Hit Peak Form at the Right Time Ahead of Champions League Showdown

Bayern Munich made it two wins on the bounce on Saturday, as they hammered Hamburg, 8-0, at the Allianz Arena. It was the Bavarian giants' biggest win of the season by some margin and couldn't have come at a better time with the Champions League set to resume next week.

Pep Guardiola's side had begun the second round of the Bundesliga season in questionable form, losing their opener to Wolfsburg 4-1 before being held to a draw by Schalke. Last week's 2-0 win against Stuttgart was an improvement, yet there was still something lacking. Outstanding individual efforts by Arjen Robben and David Alaba took the pressure off a side that otherwise lacked the across-the-board dominance they displayed throughout the fall campaign.

If there were any doubts as to Bayern's ability to pick up their form before Tuesday's Champions League round-of-16 clash with Shakhtar Donetsk, however, they were erased on Saturday. The defending German champions comprehensively outclassed HSV, exploiting their every opportunity from an early stage in the game. And unlike in Stuttgart, Bayern as a team rose to the occasion.

Yes, Thomas Muller (two goals and two assists) and Robben (also two goals) were standout performers, but they had help from all over the pitch. The latter has been outstanding all season, but it was a huge game for Mario Gotze, who had appeared to have fallen out of favor with Guardiola due to a general lack of form.

Yet the ex-Borussia Dortmund man ran the offense outstandingly well before Franck Ribery's introduction midway through the second half, scoring Bayern's second and later assisting another. He topped off a masterclass with a second goal in the closing minutes, a perfectly placed curling effort.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

For Gotze and the also excellent Robert Lewandowski (who also managed to score), the Hamburg match provided a hugely important boost of confidence. And for Ribery, who scored 10 minutes after coming off the bench in the second half, it was a step toward the form he'll need for Bayern to reach all their targets this spring.

For a team such as Bayern, who are expected to win every game but ultimately only have a handful of fixtures (Champions League knockout-round games, latter-stage DFB-Pokal fixtures and a few Bundesliga matches) that will decide for the critics whether their season is a success or failure, it's extremely important to be in good form ahead of any Champions League knockout game. In a sense, they can only lose against Shakhtar; they're so heavily favored that victory is expected and will hardly be seen as a triumph.

Yet playing in Lviv against a quality side such as Shakhtar will not be easy, and in truth, Bayern will have to be sharp in order to get a positive result. As such, the team as a whole hitting peak form against Hamburg is key: Bayern will travel east with confidence, knowing if they keep the same level, they'll be just 90 minutes away from effectively advancing to the quarterfinals.

And a burden will be lifted from Robben's shoulders, knowing that his teammates are ready to step up. Muller and Gotze in particular look prepared to share the burden, while Ribery and Lewandowski could make a breakthrough at any moment.

With so many world-class players in good form, Bayern will be unpredictable and should be unstoppable come Tuesday night. For all their problems of the last few weeks, Guardiola's men look to have turned the corner. Perfect timing.

@Mr_Bundesliga