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UEFA Cup

Aberdeen v Bayern Munich: Injury-ravaged Dons face toughest of tasks

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Nik Wardle doubts the home team's ability to cope with German might

Injury-hit Aberdeen face German giants Bayern Munich on Thursday night in the UEFA Cup Round of 32. This is a repeat of their clash in the 1983 Cup Winners Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson's side beat Bayern 3-2 in the second leg at Pittodrie to go through by the same score on aggregate. Odds are it'll be a different story this time.

Bayern are favourites to lift the trophy, as they have been since the outset, and are at [4.6] to be victorious at Manchester City's Eastlands stadium come the final in May - marginally moving out from [4.3] at the outset. Aberdeen are way out at [380.0]. It appears Betfair customers think nothing will stop Bayern in either this game or in the competition but there are many games (nine, in fact, for the eventual victors) to get through yet and there may be a slither of hope for the Scottish side to avoid defeat in the first leg.

The Dons did fantastically well to get through their group and their 4-0 victory over FC Copenhagen to seal qualification in the final group game will go down as one of the most memorable games at Pittodrie in recent seasons. Their domestic form has slipped of late, however, and they go into this tie on the back of thumping home defeats against Dundee United and Celtic. Their fragile confidence won't be helped by the fact five first team regulars (Byrne, Foster, McNamara, Young and Smith) will definitely be missing with three more (Nicholson, Diamond and Mackie) facing fitness tests.

Bayern have injury problems of their own. Defenders Van Buyten and Sagnol, midfield strongman Van Bommel and the mercurial Ribéry are all out of contention. The latter, in particular is a huge loss to the Germans. He's to Bayern what Ronaldo is to Man Utd. Although his absence increases Aberdeen's chances of causing an upset, I'm sure the more knowledgeable of their fans will rue the missed chance to witness such a talent at first-hand. It could be many years before players of his ilk are to grace the Pittodrie pitch again.

Bolton fans will testify how Ribery's substitution altered the course of their UEFA cup game against Bayern earlier in this season's competition, and lead to Bolton snatching an unlikely draw. The bad news for The Dons is that Bayern will pair two from Klose, Podolski and Toni up front - a huge step up from what Aberdeen usually face in the SPL.

Bayern will, of course, be supremely confident of progressing through to the next round. If Aberdeen start brightly there is a smidgen of a chance they may force a draw, as Bayern could be happy to cruise through the game, confident of victory at the Allianz Arena. It's [1.47] for a Bayern victory, [4.7] for the draw and [10.5] for a home win. Although I'd like to see Aberdeen have another famous European night (and bring back memories of McLeish, Miller, Black and Hewitt), I expect Bayern to put in a professional stint and win by a clear margin. Some of their replacements will be eager to impress and so I think betting on over 3.5 goals at [2.98] is a decent bet.