Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

On the third day of the Champions League, one of the most anticipated matches will be the meeting between Bayern Munich and five-time winners Barcelona.

Both clubs are even at three points after two games; a loss today may send one of them tumbling out of the top 24.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Over the weekend, Hansi Flick extended his outstanding start as Barcelona manager with a 5-1 demolition of Sevilla, ensuring that Barcelona retained their three-point advantage atop La Liga.

Only a loss away to Osasuna marred the domestic record, and Flick's lone loss was against a remarkable Monaco team that rallied from going down to ten men in the first half.

Barça got back on track on matchday two, cruising over Young Boys 5-0. It was an excellent warmup for their upcoming encounter with the German giants Flick, Robert Lewandowski's previous employers, and the team that scored the most goals.

Both the most significant winning percentage of any manager in the Champions League's history (17 victories out of 20 matches) and the most wins by a coach in the competition's first 20 games have been achieved by the Barça leader.

Before this match, however, Barcelona's record versus Bayern was quite concerning; in fifteen games between the two teams, the Catalans had only managed to win twice.

The past six meetings have ended in a Bayern victory, including the incredible 8-2 triumph in 2020. Since then, the Bavarians have gone four games without allowing a single goal.

In the event of a loss, Barça would tie the club record for the longest losing streak against a single opponent, which goes back to the early 1960s, when Real Madrid was unbeatable.

Bayern may become the first side since Real Madrid defeated Ajax in the 2010s to win seven consecutive games against the same opponent. With 10 victories against Barcelona, they could tie the record for most Champions League wins by a single opponent.

After a disappointing loss away to Aston Villa on matchday two, Jhon Duran scored an outstanding late winner after Manuel Neuer went walkabouts. Vincent Kompany hopes his team can bounce back.

Bayern's 41-game winning streak in the Champions League ended with that loss. They now face the possibility of losing three consecutive away games in Europe, which would be a record. Last season, they also suffered a devastating loss at Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

During one week in mid-September, Bayern defeated Holstein Kiel, Dinamo Zagreb, and Werder Bremen with a combined score of 20 goals. However, they have not had it easy since drawing with Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt before losing to Villa.

On the other hand, Bayern snapped their three-game losing streak with a 4-0 thrashing of Stuttgart, thanks to Harry Kane's sixth hat trick. The victory kept Bayern atop the Bundesliga, one goal ahead of RB Leipzig.

Barcelona x Bayern Munich Team News

Despite Wojciech Szczesny's arrival, Flick intends to start Inaki Pena in goal for Barcelona in this match and the next El Clasico due to Marc-Andre ter Stegen's season-ending injury.

After suffering injuries over the weekend, Dani Olmo and Gavi could return to Barça's matchday roster; Gavi even made a short appearance in the dying minutes.

Meanwhile, Marc Bernal will be out for the foreseeable future with a severe knee injury, although Frenkie de Jong is close to a complete comeback and has not played since returning at the start of the month.

Another high-profile match will feature youngster Pau Cubarsi starting for the hosts in place of the injured Ferran Torres (hamstring) and the center-back duo of Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.

With Aleksandar Pavlovic out for Bayern due to a broken collarbone suffered in the first five minutes of last weekend's match, Joao Palhinha is a strong contender to start.

Raphael Guerreiro has recently used the right-back position, although Konrad Laimer might possibly start there. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are expected to stay in the middle of the field.

The visitors will be without key players like Guerriero due to injuries to right-backs Josip Stanisic and Sacha Boey and young sensation Jamal Musiala, who may not recover in time.

Our predictions

Barcelona to win @ 2.35 on Sky247.ng

Barça had been excellent under Flick. They would have been on top of the league if Monaco hadn't received an early red card. They'll be looking to snap their losing streak against Bayern Munich.

On the other hand, Bayern may have it tough again tonight since they haven't been consistent since Kompany came, have lost many points at home, and appeared helpless at moments against Villa in their previous European match.

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