体坛英语新闻：Under-pressure Lewandowski walks down memory lane in Champions League

BERLIN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- It is time to remember the past for Robert Lewandowski in advance of Bayern Munich's first leg in the last 16 round of the Champions League crossing swords with Liverpool FC on Tuesday evening.

To meet the Premier League outfits from Northern England means to walk down memory lane for the 30-year-old striker. At the same time, the Polish international has to deal with huge expectations of his current club. Many expect him to deliver the decisive goals his side desperately needs to proceed to the next stage.

The Liverpool games are undoubtedly far from ordinary battles in the knockouts of the Champions League. It is not only Bayern vs. Liverpool, in his perspective, but it is also Lewandowski vs. Juergen Klopp.

Both lost the 2013 Champions League final in Borussia Dortmund's shirt against Bayern Munich in 2013 (2-1) after the Pole had joined Dortmund in 2010 for four years. In 2014 he left for Bayern, one year before Klopp (2008-2015) took off for England.

Before the 51-year-old coach helped to wake up one of football's giants. It was Klopp who made Lewandowski believe in his enormous potential.

"He made me see my potential, I didn't see until then. He made me believe I can perform on a very high level," the forward commented in an interview. Klopp, he says, triggered off that "extraordinary striker impulse in me."

"I am very thankful and owe him a lot."

Meanwhile, Lewandowski has developed to be one of football's best spearheads having scored 53 Champions League goals in 78 games on top of his record of 193 goals in 280 national league games. He is only the seventh player having broken the 50-goal-barrier in history.

At least when it comes to statistics Lewandowski is the most effective striker of the 2018/2019 season having scored eight goals in six games.

Now it is on him to hurt his former promoter.

It might be a surprise. Despite his success, Lewandowski is causing a widespread discussion about his value for the Bavarians. More than ever the Pole has to convince his critics when meeting his former mentor.

Some say, he yet hasn't been the man scoring for Bayern in crucial games.

Since the attacker has been around, Bayern was eliminated once in the quarterfinals (Real Madrid) and four times in the semifinals (facing Real two times, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid).

Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich professional Dietmar Hamann mentioned Bayern's dependency on Lewandowski as the side has to entirely dedicate its tactical approach to their forwards skills by mostly playing over the wings and deliver passes to the box.

TV pundit Hamann recommended selling Lewandowski in the next summer break adding "he is not the man he used to be." Bayern's response didn't take long.

Head of board Karl-Heinz Rummenigge called Lewandowski "the best nine in the world" adding "we are pleased to have him around."

Former Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said Hamann's attacks might be an additional motivation for Lewandowski in two tight games. It seems apparent that the challenge couldn't be more significant for the Pole as Bayern so far couldn't score a goal in the last three games at Anfield Road.