MATCH INFO
On Tuesday night, Bayern Munich will play Barcelona in Group C of the Champions League, pitting two of the biggest clubs in European football against one another.
Last Wednesday, Bayern opened their section with a 2-0 victory against Inter Milan, while Barcelona won their opening match of the 2022–23 season, 5-1 over Viktoria Plzen, at Camp Nou.
Match Preview
Villarreal unexpectedly knocked Bayern out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals of the previous season, but they have won this competition six times overall, with their most recent title coming in 2019–20 when they defeated Paris Saint–Germain 1-0.
The defending Bundesliga champions are expected to contend for the title once more this season, and they got off to a great start in Group C last week by defeating Inter 2-0. Leroy Sane scored the game's first goal, but Danilo D'Ambrosio's own goal sealed the triumph for the visitors.
Bayern hasn't truly won a Bundesliga game since August 21; instead, they've drawn their last three contests with Borussia Monchengladbach, Union Berlin, and Stuttgart.
The German powerhouses have not yet reached their peak form in the new season. On Saturday, Julian Nagelsmann's team twice led against Stuttgart, but a last-second penalty from Serhou Guirassy resulted in a 2-2 tie and the points were split.
In the group stages of the 2021–22 league, Der FCB faced Barcelona and defeated them 3-0 at home and 3-0 away. They haven't lost to the Catalan team since the second leg of their semi-final during the 2014–15 season, winning the last four meetings between the two teams.
Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League group stages last season for just the fourth time in club history, and it turned out to be their first elimination since the 2000–21 campaign.
There is no escaping the fact that 2021–22 was a challenging season for the Catalan giants, but a good summer transfer window has helped this campaign get off to a strong start.
Robert Lewandowski scored three goals in Xavi's team's 5-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen in their Champions League debut last week. The Poland international will now face the team that he left during the summer after 344 goals in 375 games.
In addition, Barcelona defeated Cadiz 4-0 on Saturday in La Liga, moving them momentarily to the top of the standings. They have now won five straight games overall, so confidence will be high going into this crucial European encounter.
The last time the Blaugrana won the Champions League was in 2014–15, when they defeated Juventus in the final. However, this season, they appear ready to make a strong challenge after Xavi assembled a team full of quality, and the addition of Lewandowski has given them a world-class center-forward, as Bayern will all too well know.
Team News
Kingsley Coman and Bouna Sarr will be absent from Bayern for the second straight game, but the German champions did not develop any new fitness issues against Stuttgart.
While Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard are expected to return to the defense, Sane and Sadio Mane are anticipated to return to the last third of the field.
Mane might play at center-forward for the hosts here with just one change from the lineup that faced Inter in the Champions League opener last week, with Gnabry replacing Coman.
Sergi Roberto is included in Barcelona's 25-man squad for this game even though he missed the match against Cadiz on Saturday due to a minor muscular issue.
The La Liga team should have a fully fit roster barring any unforeseen circumstances, which presents Xavi with a variety of selection challenges, notably at the defense.
Lewandowski, Pedri, Ousmane Dembele, Jules Kounde, and Eric Garcia are anticipated to return to the starting lineup for this game despite significant substitutions against Cadiz on Saturday.
Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo will play in the middle, while Gavi and Pedri will join Sergio Busquets in midfield, and Raphinha will play in the front three. Kounde could start at right-back.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Pavard, De Ligt, L Hernandez, Davies; Kimmich, Sabitzer; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Mane
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, E Garcia, Balde; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele
Key Facts
- The most common result of matches between Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona is 3-0. 3 matches have ended with this result.
- During the last 6 meetings with Bayern Munich playing at home, Bayern Munich has won 4 times, there have been 1 draw while FC Barcelona has won 1 time. The goal difference is 13-4 in favor of Bayern Munich.
- FC Barcelona's last away win against Bayern Munich was in 2007.
- During the last 13 meetings, Bayern Munich have won 7 times, there have been 1 draws while FC Barcelona have won 5 times. The goal difference is 27-19 in favor of Bayern Munich.
- When playing at home, Bayern Munich have not lost to FC Barcelona in their last 5 encounters.
- FC Barcelona hasn't won any of their last 4 games against Bayern Munich.
- In UEFA Champions League, FC Barcelona has a better performance than Bayern Munich.
We Say : Bayern Munich 1-1 Barcelona
Barcelona are flying at the moment, but it is very, very difficult to back against Bayern in Munich, so we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw here. It would certainly not be a surprise to see a home victory, but we believe that a tight match between two strong sides will finish all square.