Bayern Munich wary of dangerous Benfica

BERLIN — Bayern Munich are eager to avoid suffering another Champions League slip-up to Portuguese opposition in the Champions League quarterfinals when they host Benfica on Tuesday in the first-leg.

Pep Guardiola’s Bavarians were humbled 3-1 away to Porto at the same stage of the competition last season in the first leg before roaring back with a 6-1 victory in Munich to reach the semifinals with a 9-2 aggregate win.

After Bayern beat last season’s finalists Juventus 6-4 on aggregate in the last 16, the German media seem to think their passage into the semifinals is a foregone conclusion before they even face Portuguese league leaders Benfica over two legs.

But the Bavarians insist on taking nothing for granted.

“The game is dangerous. We have to remind ourselves about what we experienced in Porto last year,” said Bayern’s forward Mario Goezte.

Germany’s World Cup winner hopes to face Benfica after his powerful run led to Franck Ribery’s spectacular winning goal in Saturday’s 1-0 league win over Eintracht Frankfurt in a lacklustre performance from the Bavarians, who remain top of the Bundesliga.

Striker Robert Lewandowski admitted they were already thinking of the Benfica game while playing Frankfurt.

Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned Bayern need to produce more than Ribery’s stunning bicycle kick against Benfica: “That won’t be enough on Tuesday”.

The Bavarians know they can ill afford a repeat offkey display as they hunt a fifth straight appearance in the Champions League semifinals.