Some of the main favourites to win the Champions League are in the bottom half of the standings with just one round remaining. Bayern Munich are one of those teams, although their qualification to the knock-outs is already guaranteed.
The Bavarians were supposed to be one of the eight teams to leapfrog the next phase, but a shock loss last week reduced their chances.
It is still possible to finish in the main group, but they will need much luck to do so, and we can say a lot about the loss to Feyenoord. The Bavarians had 30 shots and amassed as much as 2.42 xG, but it wasn't enough to score a goal. Instead, they conceded three out of exactly three shots on goal for Feyenoord.
The fact is that statistically, they should not have lost this game. And the question is, how much effort will they put into beating one of the weakest teams in the tournament in the last round?
Slovan Bratislava are one of two teams without a single win in this tournament phase. They don't even have a draw, but seven out of seven losses. Their goal difference is 6:24, the third worst in the Champions League. There's nothing unexpected in that because they were one of the most modest teams in the tournament to begin with. They are likely to have another tough night when they visit Bayern this week.
How the bookies view it: Lowest pre-match odds you'll ever see
There has hardly been a more spectacular difference in the odds in any Champions League match this season. The Bavarians hardly feature as an option with their 1/100 odds, while Slovan Bratislava are available at 40/1. If you think the visitors have a chance of getting their first draw in the last round, you can pick this option at 25/1.
Recent head to head: Debut season and a first match against Bayern
This is a debut appearance for Slovan Bratislava in the official phase of the Champions League. The team plays in the more modest tournaments almost every year, but this is the first time they have qualified for the CL. Therefore, this will be the first clash between these two teams.
Players to watch: Don't pick Harry Kane
The world clearly expects a world-class performance with plenty of goals and there are multiple options in Bayern's squad. Harry Kane is the obvious pick but the odds for him to score are useless. We would rather pick Michael Olise, who has been just as effective in the Champions League this season and his odds revolve around 19/20.
Probable line-ups
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Guerreiro, Kim, Dier, Laimer, Pavlovic, Kimmich, Coman, Musiala, Olise, Kane
Slovan Bratislava: Takac, Zuberu, Wimmer, Kashia, Blackman, Bajric, Savvidis, Mak, Tolic, Barseghyan, Strelec
Anything else catch the eye?
Fixtures like this one are particularly difficult to bet on. The class differences between the two teams is too big and bookmakers give terrible odds for all classic markets. There's not even any point talking about the goal markets because the bookies expect Bayern to score at least five goals. Over 4.5 is the minimum sensible line if we talk about odds.
Instead, we plan to go with the corners. Bayern Munich are the team that has won the most corners since the Champions League began. On average, they take 8.6 corners per game. The odds of over 8.5 in this match have value, and we plan to take advantage.
This UEFA Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Slovan Bratislava will be played on Jan 29, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bayern Munich vs Slovan Bratislava prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
