Barcelona’s last group stage encounter against Bayern Munich will be a do-or-die match if they are to advance to the knockout stage of the 2021-2022 seasons Champions League. Bayern Munich have already qualified for the first knockout round after winning five games in a row. Therefore, Benfica and Barcelona are battling for second place. Barcelona are currently in second place with seven points, while Benfica are in third place with five points. Let’s take a look at the Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona match preview and team news.
Probable Team Lineups: Bayern Munich vs Barcelona
Coach Julian Nagelsmann may opt to rest several of his regular starters because Bayern Munich have already qualified for the Round of 16. This would be a nice choice in this context as a means of measuring reserve bench strength. Furthermore, key players would be able to get some rest.
Bayern Munich’s star midfielder Joshua Kimmich hasn’t played for the team since November because of covid-19 complications, but he is likely to be in the squad for the match against Barcelona. Apart from that, Lucas Hernandez, Marcel Sabitzer, Mickael Cuisance, Bouna Sarr, and Josip Stanisic are also expected to miss this match.
Probable Starting XI (Bayern Munich): Manuel Neuer (GK), Benjamin Pavard (RB), Tanguy Nianzou (CB) Niklas Sule (CB), Omar Richards (LB), Jamal Musiala (CM), Corentin Tolisso (CM), Thomas Muller (AM), Serge Gnabry (RW), Leroy Sane (LW), Robert Lewandowski (FW)
Barcelona needed all of their key players to be available for the match against Bayern Munich. With all of the players available, Xavi Hernandez will be able to use his preferred formation in the game. However, Barcelona will be without a number of crucial players, including young sensations Ansu Fati and Pedri. Gavi’s participation in the match is still uncertain, while the team’s experienced right-back Sergi Roberto is sidelined for over four months.
Probable Starting XI (Barcelona): Marc-Andre ter Stegen (GK), Sergino Dest (RB), Ronald Araujo (CB), Gerard Pique (CB), Jordi Alba (LB), Nico Gonzalez (CM), Sergio Busquets (CM), Frenkie de Jong (CM), Luuk de Jong (RW), Ousmane Dembele (LW), Memphis Depay (FW)
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Head-to-Head
Barcelona and Bayern Munich have met a total of ten times in the Champions League. Bayern Munich have a 7-2 lead in the Champions League head-to-head duel. One match ended in a draw.
Bayern Munich have scored 25 goals in Champions League matches against Barcelona, while Barcelona have only scored 13 goals.
Lionel Messi (120 goals) is Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer, while Robert Lewandowski is Bayern Munich’s all-time leading scorer (65). Bayern Munich have won the Champions League six times, while Barcelona have won the competition five times.
Match Prediction: Bayern vs FCB
Bayern Munich will be overwhelming favorites in this home match, based on both clubs’ current form. Furthermore, Bayern have won the past three meetings between these two teams. So far, the Bavarians have a good winning streak over the Blaugrana. Julian Nagelsmann has a plethora of attacking options available to him. He has the option of going all-in against the opposition team. Bayern Munich’s best formation against Barcelona would be 4-3-3.
On the other hand, Barcelona have no choice but to win the match in order to move to the next round. Because Bayern are so excellent at counter-attacking, therefore an open play may be a risky move for Barcelona. Bayern’s players also have more experience and are expected to dominate the game. That’s why Xavi’s Barcelona would like to score first and then defend for the remainder of the game. Therefore, a 4-4-2 or 3-4-3 system might be a good fit for Barcelona in order to reinforce the midfield.
Fixture: Bayern Munich vs Barcelona | Time (Bangladesh Standard Time): Thursday (2 am)
Prediction: Bayern Munich 2 – 0 Barcelona
Verdict
Bayern Munich are the overwhelming favorite against Barcelona due to the fact that they are hosting the match. However, Barcelona will go all out against Bayern in order to stay in the tournament. Barcelona have no choice but to win the match if Benfica defeat Dynamo Kyiv in the other group match. Therefore, the Bayern Munich vs Barcelona encounter may feature an aggressive Barcelona team.
Source: United News of Bangladesh