Wednesday night’s main UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich will take place. Barca faces an impossible task: must win both games to finish the group stage, but they also need Inter to lose the remaining games. That’s difficult to anticipate. Regarding Bayern, Naglesmann’s team is in perfect shape.
The Catalan team is currently in third place in Group C, three points behind Inter Milan, who would advance by defeating Viktoria Plzen earlier in the evening. Bayern, who are currently in first place with 12 points after winning all four of their sectional games, will advance to the round of 16 with two games to spare.
Bayern Munich is currently in second place in the Bundesliga standings and has managed to hit its stride over the past month. The Bavarian outfit eased past TSG Hoffenheim by a 2-0 margin last week and will look to take it up a notch in this fixture.
Barcelona is in second place in the La Liga table at the moment but has struggled on the European front this season. The Blaugrana thrashed Athletic Bilbao by a 4-0 margin in their previous game and will need to work hard to achieve a similar result this week.
Form Guide: Barcelona
Previously, we witnessed the Blaugrana struggling, drawing 3-3 with Inter at home and falling 3-1 to Real in the El Clasico. In these two games, the defense had significant issues as the opposition took advantage of all the weaknesses that Xavi’s team had—and perhaps still does—in that part of the game. Barcelona knows that their Champions League campaign is going to end at the group stage for the second consecutive season, a major fall from grace for the four-time champions after drawing with Inter Milan in the previous round.
Barcelona is in good shape, beating Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao in the last seven days. The first game ended 3-0, and Sunday’s one 4-0, with Barcelona dominating throughout all 90 minutes, not allowing either of these two rivals to catch a breath.
In Catalonia, Barca has won its last nine games without losing, and in seven of those contests, at least two goals have been scored. Seven of those games also featured three or more goals.
Form Guide: Bayern Munich
Bayern’s position at the top of the group is not surprising given their caliber, and they have put on a fantastic group stage showing thus far with four victories from four games, 13 goals scored, and only two goals allowed.
The team led by Julian Nagelsmann defeated Inter 2-0 and Barcelona 2-0 in their opening two group games before defeating Plzen twice, 5-0 at home at the beginning of the month, and 4-2 away from home the previous time.
Bayern Munich has won its previous four contests and has gone seven games without suffering a setback, winning six and drawing one. In each of these games, the Bavarians scored twice or more, totaling up to 27 goals.
This season, the Bundesliga winners have played 10 away games and have won seven and lost one. Before the most recent international break, Augsburg shocked everyone with a 1-0 victory.
Bayern has defeated its rivals Plzen, 2-4, Augsburg, 2-5, and Hoffenheim, 0-2, on their past three road trips. Eight times, Nagelsmann’s team scored two goals or more away from home.
How the game could go
Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-0 on Sunday to win their second straight La Liga game and put their El Clasico loss behind them. In 11 games, they have only let up four goals in their domestic league. In the Champions League, it has been a different story, and with two games remaining, they risk being eliminated if they lose, particularly because Inter Milan will play bottom-of-the-table Viktoria Plzen.
After defeating Hoffenheim 2-0 last weekend, Bayern Munich is currently undefeated in their past four Bundesliga games entering this one. They are one of just two clubs in the Champions League to have played flawless group-stage campaigns thus far, and they are aware that two points from their last two games will clinch the top spot.
Barcelona may have picked up form, but expect Bayern to continue their perfect start in Europe this season,
Betting Predictions
Barcelona to win
The German team has a very good record in the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich duels, winning each of the previous five. Bayern’s score differential in those five games is 19-4. Bayern’s players love playing against this opponent, so it doesn’t matter much that they won’t be too fired up in Wednesday’s game. Barcelona has a lot more to lose and we can be assured to see some fight from Barcelona today. Bet9ja have 2.35, 1xbet have 2.35 and Paripesa have 2.35 odds.
Over 2.5 Goals
Bayern has scored an incredible 14 goals across their last four visits to Barcelona, another route wouldn’t surprise many. There ought to be a lot of goals in action here. Bayern’s starting lineup may be compared to Barcelona’s, which has a strong offense but a mediocre defensive unit. Even if Bayern has a better defense than Barca do, we still believe that the Blaugrana can score at least one goal. We believe it is inevitable that Bayern will score. The optimum wager is thus both teams scoring above 2.5 goals. Bet9ja have 1.38 odds, Paripesa have 1.43, and 1xbet have 1.43 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski
The Catalans are essentially playing for pride at the moment and will need Robert Lewandowski to step up against his former side this week. A lot has been said about how well he would adapt to the new style of play and now he can prove doubters wrong with a goal or two to lead his side to a potential win and group-stage qualification. He is familiar with today’s opponents and can know what to expect from the team’s defense. Bet9ja have 2.00 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 1.90.
Dembele
The French forward has had a very good resurgent season since the arrival of new boss Xavi. He hasn’t been plagued with injuries as such and he has started to resemble the forward Barcelona paid a lot of money for. He is the second-highest goal scorer for Barcelona in all competitions and was on the scoresheet in his past two La Liga games. Bet9ja have 3.75 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.60.
Anytime Goalscorer (Bayern Munich)
Sadio Mane
The player who has been tasked with replacing Lewandowski on the other end has tried to fill in immensely with goals for the team. We can see the forward scoring in today’s game as Barcelona has a weak defense and he can capitalize on this opportunity and get a few goals today. Bet9ja have 3.20 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.00.
Muller
Thomas Müller netted the first-half strike here last term, doing likewise in their latest UCL away fixture. He has a long history with this Barcelona side and has scored in most appearances against Barcelona and he can provide his side with goals today. Bet9ja have 3.50 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.50.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
