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Bayern will have watched Boca Juniors’ physical match against Benfica and will look to stay out of trouble where possible. The Germans will be hoping to score early and take the sting out of the game, but Boca will do their utmost to make sure that doesn’t happen.
After a couple of red cards against Benfica, Boca will need to tread carefully - but it’s not their style, nor will it help them out if they are to get anything out of this match. With a sea of blue behind them, Boca will look to disrupt their rhythm.
And looking to cause some chaos and kick some legs will be centre-back AYRTON COSTA. The 25-year-old centre-back has picked up six yellow cards in 10 league matches this campaign - and continued that trend with another against Benfica.
Bayern will look to feed in Harry Kane who can drop deep to link up the play, and if Costa is pulled out of position, he isn’t one to shy away from taking one from the team. An aggressive centre-back may be spurred on by his fans and his price TO BE CARDED appeals.
Dortmund looked extremely leggy vs Fluminense. Against a side that were almost relegated to Brazil’s Serie B last December, the Germans looked completely unorganised playing a team they should really have beaten.
Although that was their first game back, and they may have needed to blow away a few cobwebs, the impact of their hard graft to secure Champions League football has clearly taken it out of them.
The last team they will want to face is a strong, physical, pacey unknown quantity - but that’s exactly what they are getting.
Mamelodi Sundowns weren’t respected in the market but were cut drastically prior to beating Ulsan 1-0. It wasn’t a flawless performance, but the South African team grew in confidence - and will take inspiration from not only Fluminense, but perhaps Monterrey too, who held European giants Inter Milan.
Fluminense looked at their best when taking the game to Dortmund, and that’s exactly how the Sundowns should approach their encounter vs the Germans. If they do just that - and stay a little bit tighter at the back - we should get a run for our money in backing SUNDOWNS +2 HANDICAP, where we only lose money should the South Africans lose by two or more goals.
Inter fell short in their first match, disrupted by a well-organised Mexican outfit who used their not-so-secret weapon to head home from a set piece. Inter did well to recover a point - and a few wayward shots in the second half could have easily gone in on another day - there’s nothing to panic about just yet.
And they have the perfect opportunity to rectify that result in round two before they press the panic button. That’s because Urawa Red Diamonds delivered a worrying display against River. The Argentines weren’t at the races - yet still managed to score three - and the second goal was a terrible mistake from the Japanese side. They can’t afford to make mistakes against Inter - but they no doubt will.
Looking to punish Urawa’s poor defence will be LAUTARO MARTINEZ - the man who scored the equaliser in round one against Monterrey. The Argentine is their main man, and his positioning and threat inside the box should see him return to the scoresheet against an inferior defence, and he can SCORE in an INTER WIN.
Fluminense dominated against Dortmund in their opener, but lacked a cutting edge to sneak the victory. Still, there were plenty of positives for Renato Gaucho’s side, who was extremely confident in both his pre and post match interviews.
The combination of Jhon Arias and Agustin Canobbio worked really well on the channels as they looked to get at Dortmund’s defence, while Everaldo’s hold up play was excellent. The Brazilian forward lacks finishing, but his physical play will certainly cause Ulsan problems.
The K-League side were dreadful against Mamelodi Sundowns, creating next to nothing and look to be the weak link in Group F. Having lost six of their seven AFC Champions League matches, they haven’t performed well outside of their domestic league, and look set to whimper out of this competition too.
Brazilian forward Erick Farias will be their main hope - but having scored just five goals in 35 appearances for Juventude last campaign, Thiago Silva will be able to keep him quiet. It won’t be a game full of goals, but FLUMINENSE have enough quality to edge past the Koreans, and adding UNDER 3.5 GOALS boosts the price nicely.
Odds correct at 1335 BST (20/06/25)
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