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Two teams with ambitions to finish in the top eight of the league stage will meet despite a less-than-ideal start to Champions League play when Barcelona host Bayern Munich. They have all already dropped a match in this expanded UCL field and while there will be no problems finishing in the top 24 on this stage, avoiding extra matches is a goal for everyone.
The similarities don’t stop there: both teams are led by new managers and are riding the form of some of the best strikers in the world: Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski. Former Bayern Munich men Hansi Flick and Lewandowski will be familiar with the German giants, despite how much things have changed at Bayern in recent seasons.
It’s a match that could really produce goals as Lewandowski has 14 goals in 12 games for Barcelona in all competitions and Kane has 13 goals in 10 games for Bayern. Their support systems are also quite impressive, but both defenses will want to improve their performance.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday October 23 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Location: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys – Barcelona, Spain
- Live stream: Biggest+
- Chances: Barcelona +130; Sign +300; Bayern Munich +165
Schedule of the competition phase
Barcelona: Crvena Zvezda (a), Brest (h), Borussia Dortmund (a), Benfica (a), Atalanta (h)
Bayern Munich: Benfica (h), Paris Saint-Germain (h), Shakhtar Donetsk (a), Feyenoord (a), Slovan Bratislava (h)
Team news
Barcelona: Gavi is back in the squad after an injury, but it would be unfair to expect him to return to the starting line-up. With Barcelona’s midfield getting healthy, the team will have more options alongside Frenkie De Jong as the games continue to improve. They will have to keep an eye on an upcoming weekend match against Real Madrid, but this is the time of the season to focus on the match at hand.
Barcelona predicted XI: Inaki Pena, Alex Balde, Ignigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, Jules Konde, Pedri, Marc Casado, Raphinha, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski
Bayern Munich: Vincent Kompany’s men have won just one of their last four games of late. It was a strong performance against Stuttgart, but stopping Barcelona from scoring is easier said than done. Bayern have not yet shown that they can win in a shootout, so when Barcelona finds the back of the net the real test begins.
Bayern Munich predicted XI: Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Kim Min-Jae, Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Guerreiro, Joao Palhnha, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, Michael Olise, Harry Kane
Prediction
Defense will remain the downfall for these two sides as, despite their strong attacking performances, the points will be shared in a high-scoring affair. Choose: Barcelona 2, Bayern Munich 2