Bayern Munich continue their China tour on Tuesday as they take on Inter in Shanghai. Pep Guardiola‘s men won the first fixture of their visit to the Far East, beating Valencia on Saturday, and will aim to build some momentum as the 2015-16 competitive season approaches.

The Valencia fixture was an interesting one for Guardiola‘s side, with the coach successfully experimenting with a sort of hybrid 3-1-4-2 formation that included only one natural center-back, Jerome Boateng, and saw Thomas Muller and Philipp Lahm combine for a pair of goals. Despite playing in the absence of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, the Bavarians had little trouble scoring and managed to run out 4-1 winners against Los Che.

The Bavarians will face Roberto Mancini’s Inter Milan in a replay of the 2010 Champions League final. The Italians have undergone big changes in recent years, and this summer added Geoffrey Kondogbia to their ranks with his €30 million transfer from Monaco.

The Nerrazzurri only just arrived in China and have only played test matches against third-division German side Stuttgarter Kickers and newly promoted Serie A club Carpi, winning both fixtures by an aggregate 8-5 margin. Despite a disappointing 2015-16 campaign, they look ready to make a serious push in Serie A this season and will be stiff competition for the Bavarians as Mancini has brought a strong, 25-man squad to China.

 

Date: Tuesday, July 21

Time: 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. EST

Venue: Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai

TV Info: Not available (U.S. only), Sky (UK only)

Live Stream: Not available (U.S. only), Sky Sports 1 (UK only)

 

Form Guide 

Bayern	Inter
Valencia: Win	Carpi: Win
Gladbach: Draw	Stuttgarter Kickers: Win
Augsburg: Loss

 

Predicted Lineups

Javi Martinez sat out of the Valencia match with ice on his knee, and it’s uncertain as to when he will return to action.

Guardiola may use the same 3-1-4-2 formation that featured on Saturday, but perhaps a more likely scenario would be to reintroduce Robert Lewandowski into the starting lineup and go with a three-man attack, in which case Sebastian Rode would probably drop out of the starting lineup.

Possible starting XI: Neuer; Rafinha, Boateng, Alaba; Lahm, Alonso, Bernat; Thiago; Muller, Lewandowski, Costa

Mancini has brought 25 players to China, with Jonathan Biabiany, Gaston Camara, Dodo, George Puscas and Nemanja Vidic left behind for medical reasons. As well, Saphir Taider and Miranda have remained in Italy as a result of complications with obtaining visas.

There is the possibility of Xherdan Shaqiri starting against his former club, but the Swiss appears not to fit tactically in Mancini’s system and could leave the club soon.

Possible starting XI: Handanovic; Montoya, Ranocchia, Jesus, Dimarco; Brozovic, Kondogbia, Kovacic; Hernanes; Palacio, Icardi 

 

Players to watch

For Bayern, the duo of Lahm at wing-back and Muller as a center forward worked brilliantly against Valencia. It will be interesting to see if Guardiola continues with the pair in similar roles, or if he mixes things up against Inter.

Additionally, all eyes will be on Douglas Costa, who has proven to be a live-wire in attack during the preseason thus far. He set up Thiago for Bayern‘s third goal on Saturday, and set up the Spaniard a week before for his side’s only goal of the Telekom Cup.

For Inter, Kondogbia impressed in the Carpi match, assisting Rodrigo Palacio and dominating the midfield with his combination of skill and physicality. The new signing is certainly one to keep an eye on as he comes up against one of Europe’s strongest midfield combinations.

Palacio, meanwhile, has scored three goals in two friendlies, rolling back the years. Despite being 33 years of age, the Argentine looks to still have something to offer. His partner up front, Mauro Icardi, is also one to watch due to his outstanding finishing and fine skills on the ball.

 

Key Battles

Thiago Alcantara vs Geoffrey Kondogbia

Thiago has had a great preseason individually, scoring a pair of goals and nearly flicking in a back-heel golazo on Saturday. His added goalscoring threat comes only as a bonus, with the Spaniard otherwise doing a fine job of his duties in distributing the ball in the attacking third.

Kondogbia‘s role will be to neutralize the Bayern attack as it enters the final third, with Thiago his primary target. The €30 million ex-Monaco man will have to prove he’s worth the money Inter spent to secure his signing, but he has enormous class and has already had a positive start to his career in Milan.

 

Xabi Alonso vs Mateo Kovacic

The metronome of the Bayern midfield continues to be Xabi Alonso, even as he approaches his 34th birthday. The Spaniard’s distribution of the ball remains sharp, his long-ranged delivery perhaps the best in the Bundesliga.

Opposite Alonso is Mateo Kovacic, almost 13 years younger than the Bayern man and still well on the rise. The Croatia international has a somewhat similar role at Inter, his distribution in deep areas being key to the Nerrazzurri‘s game plan. Their head-to-head battle will determine the run of play.

 

Odds (courtesy of Odds Checker)

Bayern: 7/10

Draw: 5/2

Inter: 10/3

 

@Mr_Bundesliga

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