Champions League: Can Barca Stop the Might of Bayern?

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich

The Champions League rarely gets better than this. A Leo Messi-inspired Barcelona are set to take on FC Bayern, who are arguably the most powerful team in European football.

The outright Champions League 2020 betting odds here at SBOBET give both Bayern at odds of 4.10 and Barca at 7.50 a good chance of lifting the trophy if they survive this clash at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa.

It isn’t simply a case of Messi vs Die Bayern, but it’s hard to make a strong case for the Blaugrana if the Argentine genius doesn’t put in a man-of-the-match performance.

It’s all set up for a fantastic night of football, and definitely not one to miss!

Talking Points

Coaches are reaching for the stars

We picked this out as the tie which could quite easily produce a tournament winner and if we’re right, then it would be a remarkable achievement for the victorious coach.

The biggest single threat to the winner of this clash will likely come from favourites Manchester City, who have Champions League veteran Pep Guardiola at the helm.

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UEFA – Champions League

But unlike the Sky Blues boss who has two Champions League successes both with Barca on his managerial CV, neither Bayern’s Hansi Flick nor the current Barca incumbent Quique Setien have such achievements to show off.

The 2019/20 Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles are Flick’s first in management while Quique Setien is yet to open his trophy cabinet and was probably as surprised as anyone when he landed the hot-seat at Barcelona.

Bayern aiming for 20

Die Bayern made it 19 wins on the bounce with their 4-1 destruction of Chelsea in their Round of 16 second-leg tie, and they have gone 24 matches unbeaten.

Flick’s side may well have too much pace and power for Barca with football’s most lethal pairing upfront in Robert Lewandowski with 34 league goals this season and Thomas Muller with 21 assists.

Add Serge Gnabry and his 12 goals and ten assists into the mix and you have a frightening prospect. A midfield boasting Leon Goretzka and Thiago supply plenty of ammunition too, though it could well be the Spaniard’s last season in Munich.

According to Flick, Thiago could be set to move on this summer with a move to Liverpool on the cards after a successful stint in Bavaria where he has picked up seven Bundesliga titles.

His contract has 12 months left to run and the 29-year-old could be Premier League-bound.

Messi loves the Champions League

A 3-1 win over Napoli gave Barcelona a ticket to the quarterfinals and it was Lionel Messi again who inspired the victory, scoring one brilliant goal having a second oddly chalked off by VAR and winning a penalty which Luis Suarez converted.

The record-breaking Argentine has carried Barca this season, winning the La Liga Golden Boot with 25 goals while making 21 assists and he made no secret of his annoyance at the Catalans’ meek surrender of their La Liga title to Real Madrid.

Can Barcelona once again knock Bayern Munich out of the Champions League? — Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a stunning goal for Barcelona against Napoli

There is plenty of talent in the Barca front-line with Suarez and Antoine Griezmann alongside Messi, though neither has been consistent as Suarez returned from injury and Griezmann struggled to settle in his first season at the Camp Nou.

Midfield tough guys Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets both return from suspension to add some bite to Barca.

History

The Spaniards have a slight edge in the head-to-heads, with five victories to Bayern’s four and there has been a single draw in the ten games played since 2006.

The last meeting was a 3-2 win for Bayern in the 2015 Champions League semifinal, but it wasn’t enough to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg at the Camp Nou.

This, of course, is a single-leg tie and that might play in Barca’s favour. They don’t have Bayern’s remarkable recent form, but they have won five of the last six.