Berlin - Bayern Munich are sweating on the fitness of striker Mario Gomez as they seek to avenge their Champions League final defeat to Inter Milan.

Bayern's visit to the Italians is the pick of this week's last-16 first-leg ties which see old foes Lyon and Real Madrid meet again, while England's hopes Manchester United and Chelsea are at Marseille and Copenhagen respectively.

Both Inter and Milan go into Wednesday's encounter with form and confidence in the ascendency after indifferent starts to the season.

Bundesliga top scorer Gomez is a worry for Bayern, but at least the German champions won't have to face Inter's injured Argentinian striker Diego Milito, whose brace in the Madrid final sank their hopes to clinch a fifth continental title.

While Inter also have defender Walter Samuel sidelined with injury, Bayern's Franck Ribery, who was suspended for the May final, can look forward this time to tackling the title-holders.

A 2-0 win in Madrid gave Inter, then under Jose Mourinho, their third top European trophy after two triumphs in the 1960s. After winning the European, Serie A and national cup titles, Inter struggled early in the current season, but seem to have regained form since January under new coach Leonardo.

'We are almost the same, apart from Diego (Milito), and we want to qualify,' Serb midfielder Dejan Stankovic said. 'It will be very difficult. It will be a very tactical, balanced game. But we believe in it.'

Inter at the weekend edged Cagliari 1-0 when Leonardo made part-time use of Esteban Cambiasso, Stankovic and Samuel Eto'o, giving a full rest to Wesley Sneijder and Brazil defender Lucio, who is fit from injury for the game against his former team.

'Bayern are a great team. They are coming back,' Leonardo said. 'But we are feeling well, too, and I will do my best to get the best line-up for the game. It is crucial.'

Bayern are in fine fettle after a two good wins in the Bundesliga, but Saturday's 3-1 defeat of Mainz saw keeper Thomas Kraft depart early with a head injury while Gomez aggravated an old ankle injury.

Van Gaal, who gave the players a day off from training Monday, rates Gomez a doubt for the game.

'Mario Gomez is a bigger problem than Thomas Kraft,' he said. 'We'll have to wait and see whether he can play.'

Match

Inter milan all the way!! Bayern munich going down. Everybody prepare for a mock party on the bayern thread.they are going down.

the Germans are going down

Bayern all the way.

1-3

Inter milan to beat bayern munich 3-1.

Miasanmia

bayern munich go wound o!! Revenge ni, REvenge ko??

This will be a repeat of last May's encounter,even a misfiring inter will find a way to defeat the pretenders from Naziland

Zwischenmailand raubt Bayern München und DK ist das gebrochene Herz


If not for Euro tournaments like the champions league,who for dey watch a useless club like Bayern,na loneliness for kill them for Germany

@rasputinn,

That´s how people like you just write rubbish & give others wrong impression about Germany or German football. It shows that you don´t know ANYTHING about FC Bayern Munich cos if you do, you´ll know that FC Bayern could beat Inter. And as per loneliness in Germany, maybe you don´t know that Germans & Germany for that matter has the highest number of carnivals & festivals in the whole of the western world. Maybe Germans are modest, humble & quiet people but they have the best social life structures (carnivals,clubs,cultural celebrations) than any developed nation. Germany has the best technology base system and it is the best country to live in. They´re superior in everything, so why do you just write rubbish. It´s football so just comment on the match please.

@rasputinn

I didn´t see your previous postings, you must be a empty head to be writing that rubbish about Germany. Have you been to Germany before? you don´t have an idea! which country do you live in? so I can assure you that you have more Nazis in ANY country you´re hiding (except if you´re in naija/africa or asia) than Germany. na jelousy & enviness dey kill una.

@Bavarian,

Sind Sie ein Fan Bayern. Gehen Sie auf unsere Thread unten

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-526446.896.html

Bavarian,

ARe you based in Germany,

Are you a Bayern fan or a Nurnberg fan?

dayokanu:

Bavarian,

ARe you based in Germany,

Are you a Bayern fan or a Nurnberg fan?

Dayo don find friend
Welcome Bavarian
Hope you are a Dortmund fan
They are the only ones who dey play better footie over there

Inter will edge it in this one.

@medjal
Inter who allowed spurs to score three goals in the second half at Milan, lost 3 1 to us at the lane and finished second to us in the group stage? I think you got this one wrong dude.

manmustwac:

@medjal
Inter who allowed spurs to score three goals in the second half at Milan, lost 3 1 to us at the lane and finished second to us in the group stage? I think you got this one wrong dude.

They have a new coach so new beginning and old things are hereby passed away.

45 mins to kickoff

link pls,

sopcast links with english commentary guys. thx

Kraft
Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Badstuber, Pranjic
Schweinsteiger, Gustavo
Robben, Müller, Ribery
Gomez

subs: Butt, Breno, van Buyten, Ottl, Kroos, Altintop, Klose


------------------Cesar ------------------
Maicon------Rannocchia---Lucio------Chivu
---------Cambiasso-----Stankovic--------
Zanetti-----------Snjeider----------Motta
-------------------Eto'o------------------


Lets go Bayern Miasanmia!!!!!!

@ Bavaria,
You are a dirty goat and may a smelly he goat urinate on your head.

Jealousy unto wetin na??shuo,see mad man for nairaland ooo,O boy if na you dem send,tell dem say you no see me b4 you go just carry dey post when you no know every

I have more German acquaintances than you can imagine,did I say I go to Germany to scout for Nazis,for your info,nearly everything we say here is not taken to heart so whats your problem.Abeg free me joor,you Nazi apologist 

^^^
Während des Sommers konnte ich in Deutschland wieder sein, möglicherweise sollten Sie kommen, mich vom Berlin-Schoenefeld Flughafen auszuwählen

I'm off to Marseilles V Manscum,gotta root for the Premiership side as there's no better league in Europe,nay the world

I beg na who dey lead here?

manmustwac:

@medjal
Inter who allowed spurs to score three goals in the second half at Milan, lost 3 1 to us at the lane and finished second to us in the group stage? I think you got this one wrong dude.

That's the group stage, now it's the knockout, levels don change.
Inter barely made out of the group stage last season, they qualified on the last matchday.

Gomes just showed how useless he is . . . .even my grandma would've scored that.

Did they ask this bayern players to injure sneider abi the man marking never do them?

Flash in the pan Muller shows he can miss a better chance than Gomez can

Toooorrrr Super mario gomezzzzz

Na who born these magasssss