Champions League: Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Preview

Published on:

Champions League: Barcelona vs Bayern Munich live

Preview: Barcelona vs Bayern Munich

On the third matchday of the Champions League, Barcelona, who have won the tournament five times, will face Bayern Munich, a six-time champion on Wednesday at 7:00pm GMT at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Both teams currently have three points from two matches, and a loss in this game could put them in a precarious position on the standings.

Joshua Kimmich at a press conference at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on October 22, 2024, on the eve the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League match.
Joshua Kimmich at a press conference at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on October 22, 2024, on the eve the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League match.

Hansi Flick’s excellent tenure as Barcelona manager continued over the weekend with a 5-1 victory against Sevilla, keeping them three points clear at the top of La Liga. The only domestic setback so far was a loss to Osasuna, while Flick’s other defeat occurred against a strong Monaco team after they were reduced to 10 players. However, Barcelona bounced back impressively on matchday two, defeating Young Boys 5-0, which set them up well for the upcoming match against Flick’s former club.

Hansi Flick at a press conference on the eve of the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League, league phase day 3 match at the Joan Gamper training ground in Sant Joan Despi, near Barcelona, on October 22, 2024.
Hansi Flick at a press conference on the eve of the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League, league phase day 3 match at the Joan Gamper training ground in Sant Joan Despi, near Barcelona, on October 22, 2024.

After defeating Stuttgart over the weekend and maintaining their position at the top of the table, with Harry Kane achieving his sixth hat-trick for the team, Bayern Munich is likely to anticipate continuing their strong attacking form into this matchup. They could use a boost in confidence, especially since they lost their last UCL match at Villa Park. This loss ended a remarkable streak of 41 unbeaten matches in both group and league phases of the Champions League (with 37 wins and 4 draws) and put them in danger of suffering three consecutive away defeats in Europe for the first time.

Vincent Kompany at a press conference on the eve of the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League, league phase day 3 match.
Vincent Kompany at a press conference on the eve of the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League, league phase day 3 match.

Head-to-head

Barcelona’s track record against Bayern is quite concerning, as the Catalan team has managed to win only twice in 15 past encounters. In their last six meetings, Bayern has emerged victorious each time, including the remarkable 8-2 win in 2020. Additionally, the Bavarians have secured four consecutive wins since then without allowing any goals. Their most recent matchup ended in a 3-0 win for Bayern in 2022 in the UCL.

Bayern Munich players celebrate during the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on October 26, 2022.
Bayern Munich players celebrate during the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on October 26, 2022.

Prediction

Under Flick, Barca has performed almost flawlessly, and if it weren’t for an early red card in the match against Monaco, they could have achieved a perfect score. This gives them confidence as they aim to break their poor streak against the Bavarians. On the other hand, Bayern has struggled with consistency since Kompany joined, losing several points in domestic matches and appearing ineffective at times against Villa in their most recent European game, which could lead to another challenging evening for them. Thus; we are expecting a high scoring draw on Wednesday.

Related

Leave a Reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here