Barcelona will know there is no margin for error when they welcome Bayern Munich to Camp Nou for Wednesday night’s Champions League encounter.
Barcelona have their Champions League future hanging in the balance as they go head-to-head with Bayern Munich at Spotify Camp Nou in a Champions League Group C encounter on Wednesday night.
The Blaugrana put their El Clasico setback behind them, thumping Athletic Club and Villarreal 4-0 and 3-0, respectively, to make it two La Liga wins in a row, giving everyone a timely reminder of what they’re capable of when firing on all cylinders. Not only are they scoring goals for fun, but they are also very prudent at the back, having shipped only four goals in 11 games in their domestic league so far.
In Europe, it has been a whole different story as they are on the brink of crashing out of their Champions League group. Poor losses to Bayern and Inter had left them reeling, and a last-gasp equaliser in the reverse fixture against Inter two weeks ago was not enough to keep their fate in their own hands.
This means Xavi’s men will have to fight tooth and nail against table-toppers Bayern at Camp Nou, knowing that anything but a win will result in them finishing in third place in the group and heading into the Europa League Round of 32. Even then, they will need a lot of help from elsewhere to even stay alive after this match.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, will look to make a statement on Wednesday when they travel to Catalonia to lock horns with European rivals Barcelona in their penultimate Champions League group-stage encounter.
They enter this tie off the back of a 2-0 win against Hoffenheim over the weekend and are now unbeaten in their last four Bundesliga games. They are also one of just two teams in the Champions League to have a perfect group-stage campaign thus far.
The Bavarians have been assured a place in the knockout stages of the competition and could well qualify as Group C winners as they only need a positive result here, currently boasting four wins in as many games. The Hard Tackle will now run the rule over these two sides ahead of their blockbuster encounter at Camp Nou this midweek.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
The squad for #BarçaBayern! pic.twitter.com/T0GgDc3qBL
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 25, 2022
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez will be without the services of at least four players heading into this one, including the likes of Memphis Depay, Andreas Christensen, and Ronald Araujo while Sergi Roberto is the latest to join the treatment room after dislocating his shoulder over the weekend after an awkward landing in the win against Athletic Bilbao. Gavi was forced off in the first half against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday but should be fine to be in contention here.
Xavi Hernández has no option but to select a strong team against Bayern, regardless of the fact that Barça starts the game already out of contention to qualify for the next round, with home fans needing something to cheer about after a dismal week crushed all their European optimism.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen will be in goal, with the Catalan club lining up in their traditional 4-3-3 setup. Xavi could go with Jules Kounde, and Eric Garcia at the heart of the Barca backline with Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso providing width, ball progression, and late runs at the back-post from the full-back positions.
Club captain Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong ran the show against Athletic Club forming an exciting pivot and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them both starting against Bayern. Pedri will operate as the third midfielder, with Gavi another option with his swashbuckling runs and buzz but will likely start on the bench.
There’s no looking past Ousmane Dembele on the right flank. The tricky, fleet-footed Frenchman has the ability to create something out of nothing thanks to his pace and dribbling as he remains a key piece of Barcelona’s attack. Ferran Torres may get the nod ahead of Raphinha, and Ansu Fati down the left.
Robert Lewandowski is the club’s chief source of goals and is a mainstay in Xavi’s starting lineup. The Pole will continue leading the Barca frontline.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Bellerin, Kounde, Eric Garcia, Alonso; de Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Dembele, Lewandowski, Torres
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich will be missing three key players for the trip to Barcelona, with Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sane, Lucas Hernandez, and Bouna Sarr ruled out of action.
Julian Nagelsmann is set to retain his 4-2-3-1 system. But his players will play roles rather than positions, making it an extremely fluid and flexible setup with occasional in-game tactical tweaks. In Neuer’s absence, Sven Ulreich will continue in goal, with the backline of Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt, and Alphonso Davies expected to start against Barcelona.
📍Servus, Barcelona. 👋#MiaSanMia #FCBayern #FCBFCB pic.twitter.com/PEOQUIJqQE
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) October 25, 2022
Joshua Kimmich is arguably the best number six on the planet in current form, and he will form a double midfield pivot alongside Leon Goretzka, who will look to boss the midfield with his physicality as well as help to control the tempo of the game on Wednesday.
Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala, and Serge Gnabry will offer a lot of pace, creativity, and movement to the Bayern attack. Sadio Mane was on the bench against Hoffenheim last weekend, but he should be back in the starting lineup this mid-week. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is also pushing for a chance to lead the line but may have to settle for a bench role here despite scoring four goals in his last three games.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ulreich; Pavard, Upamecano, de Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Coman, Musiala, Gnabry; Mane
Key Stats
- Bayern are unbeaten in their last 32 Champions League group games (W29, D3) — a current competition record.
- Bayern have won eight of their last nine matches versus Barcelona in all competitions, and have won three of their five away games against them.
- Barcelona have lost their past five UEFA Champions League meetings against Bayern Munich, with scores of 3-2 (home), 8-2 (neutral ground), 3-0 (away), 3-0 (home), and 2-0 (home) — their worst record against a particular opponent in the competition.
- If Barcelona loses this game, they will be eliminated from the UEFA Champions League group stage in back-to-back seasons for only the second time in their history.
- The Bavarians have not lost in four of their last five away games against Spanish opponents but did lose their previous such game against Villarreal in the quarter-finals last year.
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona will need their star man, Robert Lewandowski, to step up against his former side this midweek. While he missed some big chances in the reverse fixture in what was an emotional return to his former club, there is no room for sentiment here with such high stakes for his team.
The Pole has already scored 11 goals in La Liga, four more than his nearest competitor. His goals have fueled Barcelona’s impressive league start. Not to mention, Lewandowski is the joint-top scorer in the Champions League with five goals.
The 34-year-old is in red-hot form with five goals in his last four games. He has got the experience, and predatory skills and, more often than not, come up with the goods under the lights on big occasions, demonstrated by his match-saving late brace against Inter to keep the hosts’ faint Champions League hopes still alive.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-2 Bayern Munich
Barcelona could be eliminated from the Champions League by the time they face Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. Inter Milan have a three-point advantage in second place and only need a win against rock-bottom minnows Viktoria Plzen in the early kick-off to qualify for the next round.
An entertaining goal-fest could well be on the cards, with both sides having so much attacking talent at their disposal. Bayern Munich’s front four is highly efficient in transitions, and they should get plenty of chances on the break.
Even if they are simply playing for pride, the hosts will be seeking retribution for all those heavy defeats inflicted upon them by Bayern in recent years and will be keen to show their supporters that progress is being made, albeit at a slow rate. So, The Hard Tackle predicts a thrilling 2-2 draw, which would be befitting for this marquee match-up in the Champions League this midweek.
