Bayern vs Besiktas - Can Talisca fire visitors to first leg upset?

A meeting with Bayern Munich was scant reward for topping their group, but Besiktas can take solace from playing away from home in Tuesday’s first leg. The Black Eagles are struggling to defend their Super Lig crown with a 1-1 draw at Konyaspor on Friday leaving them five points adrift of the league leaders Istanbul Basaksehir. 

Their Champions League form, though, has been hugely impressive as they eased to the knockout stages of the competition, winning four and drawing two of six matches to secure top spot. Besiktas won all three away matches, which is all the more commendable given they overcame FC Porto, Monaco and RB Leipzig on their way to the last-16. 

However, their last-16 match up with Bayern Munich will be a tougher obstacle to overcome. The Bundesliga giants come into the welcome of Besiktas in the midst of a 13-match winning run, winning 10 in the league, which leaves them 19 points clear at the top of the table. At this stage, domestic success is a mere formality, though they can’t underestimate Besiktas’ attacking capability this week. 

The offensive star for the Turkish outfit is undoubtedly Anderson Talisca, who has the chance to reaffirm his quality in Germany. The 24-year-old, who is 18 months into a two-year loan spell from Benfica, has excelled once again this term, netting 13 league and Champions League goals. 

The Brazilian has won the WhoScored man of the match award in three of his last five league appearances, with his goal record in domestic and continental competition hinting at how big a threat he’ll pose Bayern on Tuesday. The Bundesliga side are without Manuel Neuer through injury and have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight matches, one of which was against second tier Paderborn in the DFB-Pokal, so while they are easing to their title, their defence is far from solid. 

Besiktas face an uphill struggle in their bid to secure a quarter-final berth, yet know that an away goal significantly improves their chances of knocking out one of the giants of European football. Given his recent goalscoring form – Anderson Talisca has scored seven goals in his last seven competitive outings – the on-loan star is the primary attacking threat Bayern need to be wary of on Tuesday night.