BFW roundtable: Who is Bayern Munich’s worst possible Champions League draw?

Bayern Munich are into the next round of the UEFA Champions League and their future opponents will be revealed during Monday’s Ro16 draw. The Bavarians will be favorites for any tie posed at them. However, it could be said that some are harder than others. Bayern’s potential opponents are Barcelona, Atalanta, Lazio, Sevilla and Porto. Therefore, I asked some BFW staffers to detail who they thought was the least favorable draw for Bayern and why.

Josh Tobolt — Atalanta

As for who I think is the least favorable, that would have to be Atalanta. I know we are probable to get Barcelona, but they have been struggling all season long. They struggled vs. Juventus and even though they won the first leg in matchday 2, 2-0, that was without Ronaldo and Messi, respectively. While Messi will always be a threat, they’re a clear step below Bayern. Atalanta, on the other hand, is the biggest offensive threat that Bayern’s rocky defense could face. I would put Atalanta as the biggest concern going into the Round of 16.

Fergus — Sevilla

I think that Sevilla is probably the hardest draw and therefore, the one I would like least that Bayern got. As we saw in the UEFA Supercup, the Spanish outfit are structured, hard to break down and can counter Bayern’s system to a good effect — out of all potential teams, Sevilla are the only ones I really see causing Bayern problems over two legs. All other potential opponents have serious and visible issues. So, this is most definitely the fixture where Bayern has the highest chance of being sent packing. That said, I would still expect a convincing win for the Bavarians over two legs.

Schnitzel01 – Seville

Bayern can definitely beat Sevilla, and quite comfortably at that over two legs. Why I wouldn’t want the team to face Sevilla is because of the physical, gritty brand of football they play. I’m just concerned our players will get over-exerted and we might even have to face an injury or two, which wouldn’t be great with the QFs and important BuLi games looming. So yeah, Sevilla is a hard pass for me.

I will be boring and say FC Barcelona because of the sole reason that by the time round of 16 comes around, they might have a new coach and be heading towards a different, more positive, direction. They’ve been abysmal this year and need a complete turn around to be considered any threat in the later stages of the Champions League. But that can happen, especially considering Barcelona’s size and player material. It happened to Bayern last year.

Samrin — Sevilla

The team I would least like to draw is Sevilla. Our game against them in the SuperCup is evidence of why I would like to avoid the Spanish side. They can trouble any opposition and they can defend doggedly. They can break pretty effectively as well. A draw against Sevilla at a time when Bayern will possibly have the exertions of the club World Cup to deal with could prove to be a nightmarish scenario. Sevilla also has the quality up front to provide some offensive firepower. Yes, they had tight games against minnows Krasnodar in their group, but, they won both fixtures, one with ten men. Also, a 0-4 defeat to Chelsea after both teams had already qualified shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Who is Bayern’s worst draw? Let us know in our poll and the comments below!