The Bavarian slaughterhouse prepares for a formality

Welcome to the Allianz Arena, or as Atalanta fans will likely call it by the 20th minute, the Theatre of Premature Departures. After a first leg that looked less like a Champions League knockout and more like a tactical execution, Bayern Munich enter this return fixture with a 6-1 aggregate lead. It is effectively a training session with better lighting and more expensive beer.

Vincent Kompany’s men are currently 1st in the Bundesliga with 67 points, boasting a goal difference of +68 that borders on the indecent. They have scored 93 goals in 26 league games. That is not a football team; it is a glitch in the simulation. Despite a recent 1-1 draw against Leverkusen that probably felt like a catastrophe for their spoilt fanbase, the Bavarians are ready to turn the Italian Dea into a sacrificial lamb once again.

Atalanta, currently 7th in Serie A with 47 points, are in that awkward phase where Gian Piero Gasperini’s tactical "masterclasses" are starting to look like very organized suicide missions. They managed a 1-1 draw against Inter recently, which is cute, but trying to overturn a five-goal deficit in Munich is like trying to put out a forest fire with a water pistol. The Italians will surely talk about pride and the "spirit of Bergamo," but we all know they’re just here for the sightseeing and the post-match bratwurst.

Bayern will likely rotate, because why wouldn't they? Even their bench could probably sleepwalk to a victory here. Expect Harry Kane to treat the Atalanta defense like a group of oversized training cones while the Italians pray for the sweet release of the final whistle. It’s not a question of if Bayern win, but how many goals they can score before they get bored and start thinking about the quarter-finals.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-0 Atalanta