Manuel Neuer believes Bayern Munich will handle the pressure to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals when they host Villarreal at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

>> Click here for the Bayern-Villarreal LIVE blog!

To reach the last four, Bayern have to overcome a first-leg deficit in the Champions League for the first time since 2015 following last week's 1-0 loss in Spain.

Arnaut Danjuma's early strike was the difference between the two sides in the opening quarter-final fixture, but Bayern's first away defeat in European competition since 2017 could have been much heavier.

Having emerged from the opening 90 minutes of the tie beaten but still within touching distance of their opponents, Neuer insisted the Bundesliga league leaders would not let the opportunity slip.

"We have to show determination, be ambitious, and you can always count on us to do that. We lost the first leg, it hurt us, but we only lost 1-0. We weren't happy with the performance, but it's the best kind of defeat you can get," said the Bayern captain.

"We have won a lot of games in the Champions League and we know we have to win. We've done that in the past, and we're not to be messed with after we've lost a game like we did over there."

With Niklas Süle laid low by illness, Dayot Upamecano will retain his place in a starting XI that is likely to see few if any changes as coach Julian Nagelsmann looks to his players for an improved performance.

Dayot Upamecano will continue in the Bayern defence with Niklas Süle out with illness. - Sebastian Widmann/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty

Want more Bundesliga Action?

SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER

"'Must' is a strong word, but we should, we want to put in [a better performance]," said the Bayern boss. "They made a mistake in the first leg by not killing us off. We're not going to apologise for the fact they didn't score more goals."

Villarreal are now unbeaten in five matches against German clubs since their 2011 loss in Munich in the competition's group stage.

Heavily fancied before the tie given they were through to the last eight for the tenth time in the last 11 seasons, while their La Liga opponents were only making their third quarter-final appearance, Bayern now have to stand up and be counted.

Watch: Bayern maintain their momentum with Augsburg win

That, according to Nagelsmann, suits his team just fine.

"Sometimes a certain stimulus and pressure are required to tease out a special performance," said the Bayern boss. "I think it's only human that after winning lots of trophies it's necessary to have tension to be able to put in your best performance on the pitch, and that's why I believe we'll play well."

About the clubs

FC Bayern München

Allianz Arena