Bayern Munich set to another European title run

With the constant prolific prowess of Robert Lewandowski, who scored his 39th goal of the season, Bayern is now unbeaten in its last 19 Champions League matches, the second longest streak in the history of the tournament. The longest streak belongs to Manchester United, who, under Sir Alex Ferguson, went on 25 matches without losing, between 2007 and 2009.

The German side is joined by Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Manchester City and Liverpool in the quarterfinals round that is set to start on April 6. With no more protections for clubs facing off against others either from the same group or domestic league, the draw will set up the quarterfinals clashes and potential semifinal matchups. As reported on this

site, Bayern Munich are at +300 odds to win the title, but Manchester City is the clear favourite with +225 odds.

The journey so far

After being crowned champions last season, in an amazing campaign that ended with 11 wins in 11 Champions League matches, Bayern Munich travelled to Doha, Qatar, to beat Al Ahly and Tigres UANL and lift the FIFA Club World Cup trophy in February.

The UEFA Champions League group stage draw pitched Bayern against Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow in Group A. Recording only 1 draw, 5 wins and an average three goals per game, Bayern cruised through the group stage, with a blowout 4-1 win against Atletico and an amazing 6-2 away victory over Red Bull Salzburg.

In the round of 16, a clash with Italian-side Lazio, who placed second in Group F. In the first leg, in Rome at Stadio Olimpico, Bayern crushed the opponents in an astounding 4-1 win, with goals by Lewandowski, Musiala, Sané and Acerbi (own goal). This week, in the second leg at Allianz Arena, Bayern controlled the match and beat Lazio 2-1 to reach the quarterfinals. No club has reached the quarterfinals of the competition more frequently than Bayern Munich -

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In this week’s match, the Polish striker scored his 39th goal of the season, including all competitions, and, since the start of last season, no player has been directly involved in more Champions League goals than Lewandowski - he has contributed 20 goals and 5 assists.

Contenders

Despite being the reigning champions, Bayern Munich are not the favourites to lift the Champions League trophy in Istanbul, on May 29. According to sportsbooks, Manchester City is the favourite to win the tournament. Led by legendary manager Pep Guardiola, the English side are on the chase for the European success they have been trying to achieve for some time now, and maybe this is the year for them after all.

With world-class players like Kevin de Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus, The Citizens are 15 points clear in the Premier League and are on the way to a third domestic league title under Guardiola in four seasons. Following comfortable

in the Champions League round of 16, that featured excellent performances by de Bruyne and Ilkay Gündogan, City are fiercely in contention for the European title. Despite also being alive in the FA Cup and the League Cup, City has a well-rounded, balanced squad that is surely enough to move past these clashes.

After eliminating Barcelona, with 5-2 on aggregate and an incredible

, the 2019-20 runners-up Paris Saint-Germain cannot be disregarded as well. With two of the best players in the world in their squad - Neymar and Mbappé - and the arrival of former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, PSG is clearly in contention for the title, with +550 odds in most sportsbooks.

Since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager, the team has gone 13 games unbeaten, with only two goals conceded, and are now pointed by some analysts as realistic contenders for the title. As some of the summer signings finally start to perform at a high level, including Timo Werner, Chelsea has a strong side that could aspire a good run in the stages ahead.

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