Can Beşiktaş beat Bayern Munich?

One of my friends told me a dream he recently had - Beşiktaş was beating Bayern Munich 2-1. He was so confident about his dream that although I explained to him all the statistics and quality difference in favor of Bayern Munich, he claimed that Beşiktaş will somehow find a way to beat them in their upcoming Champions League clash.

Now I can't say that I am unsympathetic with this attitude, since it challenges the biggest names of Europe without hesitation. Nevertheless, the attitude I have a problem with is the chaotic one - the one which trusts in "somehow." Claiming that your side will win somehow means that you don't actually trust your team's capabilities but are hoping for a miracle. I don't share this view and I sincerely believe that there is a scientific way to beat Bayern Munich.

First of all, the argument that home games and away games differ drastically has to be buried forever. Bayern Munich will not change their game completely because the stadium they are playing in is different, that is an amateur mistake. Thus, Beşiktaş should not fall into the trap that they can park the bus in Munich and finish the job in Istanbul. This silly approach, which is unfortunately also popular, can only mean that Beşiktaş will give Bayern Munich the time and space it needs on a silver plate. After giving Jupp Heynckes's team the basic needs of their game, they become unstoppable, as Paris Saint-Germain experienced bitterly in Munich.

So, what is the plan? It is obvious that Beşiktaş can't attack with full force against Bayern - that would be just another way to give Heynckes the time and space he needs. Nevertheless, without attacking fervently and chaotically, keeping the ball under control would be the best way to start.

Bayern's game relies heavily on pressing the opponent in the final third and executing blitzkriegs, and that means Beşiktaş's defense will be under constant pressure. But if Beşiktaş can hold on to dear life in the first 20 minutes and manage to circulate the ball accurately and efficiently on defense, Bayern's press will get fatigued and lose its intensity. That is the number one rule, never let Bayern's press destroy the defensive line - exhaust them.

Secondly, Beşiktaş also need to pose an offensive threat to keep Bayern defenders close to their penalty box. Ricardo Quaresma's cross-frenzy would be way too easy for Bayern to repel, so I would opt for a more direct approach between the wings and the striker. If coach Şenol Güneş is going to start with Ryan Babel, Quaresma and Alvaro Negredo in the front, which is very likely, then the best thing to do would be utilizing the selflessness of Babel and Negredo instead of Quaresma crossing the all balls to Negredo.

Beşiktaş must be patient when they arrive to the Bayern's half, since it would be a tough ride to bring the ball into that area. Therefore, they would not want to lose the ball easily by crossing it directly, which can turn into a counter-attack immediately. If I were Güneş, I would circulate the ball as much as I can, until Bayern feels the pressure and starts to press chaotically.

In conclusion, yes, there is a good chance that Beşiktaş can beat Bayern, but it is going to be the toughest challenge they've faced in recent years. Thus, staying calm, cool and collected throughout the game will be essential for Beşiktaş.