Champions League Preview: Barcelona VS Bayern Munich
Past Results
Barcelona last played against Bayern Munich in the 2019/20 UCL Quarter-final and I am sure that Barcelona players still experience nightmares after losing that match with the final score of 2-8. The match took place at Camp Nou where Bayern Munich players were in the form of their life.
The match started with a goal from Muller in the 4th minute, however, this was just the start. Barcelona scored two goals out of which one was an own goal scored by Alaba in the 7th minute. coutinho' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>coutinho" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Philippe Coutinho, who was on loan at Bayern Munich from Barcelona, scored two goals in the final ten minutes of the game to seal the deal for the Bavarians. Koeman and his players will be looking for revenge, with the wounds still fresh.
Team News & Possible Lineup
Barcelona:
Barcelona will head into this game without the services of Sergio Aguero, Ansu Fati, and Ousmane Dembele. After Griezmann joined Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline day, Blaugrana will be without some significant firepower and have been criticized for very predictable gameplay.
Possible Lineup (4-3-3): Ter Stegen, Mingueza, Araujo, Pique, Alba, Pedri, Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Luuk de Jong, Coutinho.
Bayern Munich:
Bayern Munich does not have too many injuries heading into this match, but they will be without their key player Serge Gnabry, who picked up a knock against RB Leipzig. There is doubt whether he will play in this game and will likely join Kingsley Coman and Corentin Tolisso in the list of absentees for the Bundesliga giants.
Possible Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer, Sule, Upamecano, Hernandez, Davies, Kimmich, Goretzka, Musiala, Muller, Sane, Lewandowski.
Prediction
Barcelona 1-3 Bayern Munich
Why is Bayern Munich likely to win this match? Looking at the mentality and quality of Barcelona, it's clear that they are not strong enough to compete against a team that loves to attack. Barcelona has certain weaknesses in their defense that can cost them a lot against Bayern Munich. Their defense is likely to fumble considering that they will be facing the likes of Muller, Musiala, Sane and Lewandowski. Barcelona will rely on Luuk de Jong in the goalscoring department, which is a bit too much for the newbie. Barcelona can surely take their chances and score on the counter-attack but at the same time, Bayern Munich will not let them get past so easily.