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BERGAMO, ITALY - MARCH 10: Josip Stanisic of FC Bayern München celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Atalanta BC and FC Bayern München at Stadio di Bergamo on March 10, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 matchup, Bayern Munich smashed Atalanta 6-1 with the result never in doubt for the Rekordmeister. Bayern will play the second leg without the services of Joshua Kimmich and Michael Olise due to yellow card accumulation. With Bayern’s top four goalkeeper options sidelined with injuries, Vincent Kompany must choose between Jannis Bärtl from Bayern II or Leonard Prescott from the U-19 side.
Atalanta is winless in the club’s last five matches but it should be noted the last win was a 4-1 thumping of Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League knockout phase. Atalanta will look to throw everything at Bayern in the first half then make some strategic long-term decisions in the second half if they have not reduced the five-goal deficit.
Match Info
Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Date: Wednesday, March 18th, 2026
Time: 9:00pm local time (4:00pm EST)
TV/streaming: CBS Sports Network, Paramount Plus, Find Your Country
Odds: Bayern (-330), Draw (+425), Atalanta (+850)
Team Info
Here is the predicted lineup, courtesy of BFW:
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Lineup changes
- IN: Leonard Prescott, Kim Min-jae, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry
- OUT: Sven Ulreich, Dayot Upamecano, Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olise
Player status updates
- Harry Kane, calf (doubtful)
- Hiroki Itō, thigh (doubtful)
- Jamal Musiala, ankle (doubtful)
- Alphonso Davies, hamstring (out)
- Manuel Neuer, calf (out)
- Sven Ulreich, adductor (out)
- Jonas Urbig, concussion (out)
- Joshua Kimmich, yellow card accumulation (out)
- Michael Olise, yellow card accumulation (out)
Three things to knowabout Bayern
- Bayern’s goalkeeper, Bärtl or Prescott, will be making their debut with the senior team.
- This is Bayern’s first match of the season that will not feature either Kimmich or Olise.
- No team has ever blown a five-goal advantage in the Champions League. In 2017, Barcelona overcame a 4-0 deficit against PSG to win the second leg 6-1.
Three things to know about Atalanta
- Leading Scorer: Gianluca Scamacca, 12 goals
- Player to watch: Marco Carnesecchi
- Form: LDDLD; 7th place (Serie A)
Prediction
Bayern wins 3-2. With a lot of rotation and lack of chemistry, the defensive breakdowns will be abundant. Both teams will score on free kicks in the first half. Nursing a five-goal lead, Bayern will concede a counterattack goal in the second half. As Atalanta starts to throw numbers forward, Lennart Karl and Luis Díaz will each score in the second half to send Bayern into the quarterfinals.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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