Barcelona will be hoping to still be in with a chance of reaching the knockout round of the Champions League when they welcome Bayern Munich to Camp Nou on Wednesday night.
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night. The Camp Nou will host a heavyweight clash on Wednesday night as Barcelona take on Bayern Munich, with the home team’s hopes of staying in the Champions League hanging by a thread.
Bayern are already through to the knockout stage, boasting a perfect record of four wins from four, but would still welcome the scalp of another European giant having already beaten Inter.
Inter take on group whipping boys Viktoria Plzen in the earlier kick-off and are expected to beat the Czech outfit, which would leave them into the next round and Barcelona out of the competition.
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
However, if Plzen can get any points and Barcelona beat Bayern then there’s a chance they can remain in the competition.
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich predicted line-ups
Ronald Araujo will miss the game after undergoing groin surgery in September, while Sergi Roberto dislocated his shoulder at the weekend and will also miss out.
Andreas Christensen and Memphis Depay are both doubtful, while Gavi took a hit to his abductor muscle at the weekend but is expected to play.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, are without Manuel Neuer, Lucas Hernandez, Leroy Sane and Bouna Sarr.
Barcelona’s predicted lineup (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Bellerin, Kounde, E Garcia, Alonso; De Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Dembele, Lewandowski, Gavi.
Bayern Munich’s predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Ulreich; Pavard, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Coman, Musiala, Gnabry; Mane.
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: When does it start?
It’s a 21:00 CEST kick-off local time in Barcelona, meaning it’s 20:00 BST for UK viewers.
When Bayern Munich face FC Barcelona in the Champions League, the footballing world stops to take notice. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. It doesn’t matter if Bayern are already qualified, or of Barca are basically out already. It doesn’t matter that Inter Milan could make this game irrelevant before kickoff. This is a clash between the two biggest teams in the world, and that makes it important.
Xavi will want a win to galvanize his squad for the rest of the season, after deflating losses to both Inter and Real Madrid in previous weeks. Bayern, meanwhile, still have top spot in the group to secure, and Julian Nagelsmann will doubtless want to come away from the Camp Nou with a win. Pride is at stake here. When you play against a big team in Europe, you give it your all. That’s just how it is.
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
Team news
Unfortunately, Bayern have some major absentees heading into the game. Three key players from the first leg — Manuel Neuer, Lucas Hernandez, and Leroy Sane — have not traveled with the team to Spain, so you can be sure that they won’t play. That means both of the goalscorers from the Allianz Arena leg of the stadium will be missing at the Camp Nou. On the other hand, it could’ve been worse. At least Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman are reportedly fit and back in training.
So who will make the starting XI vs Barcelona? Well, it’ll be interesting. Julian Nagelsmann has been coy about the notion of starting Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in big games this season, but his recent form clearly warrants a spot in the lineup. He’ll likely be supported by Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, and a well-rested Sadio Mane to make up a four-man offense in the shape of a 4-2-3-1. Musiala will likely be moved to the wing, with Thomas Muller slotting into the attacking midfield spot for this game.
The Catalan outfit are third in Group C, three points behind second-placed Inter Milan, who would qualify by beating Viktoria Plzen earlier in the evening, while Bayern top the section with 12 points, having won all four of their matches in the section to progress to the round of 16 with two games to spare.
Barcelona made it 28 points from 11 La Liga matches this season by beating Athletic Bilbao 4-0 on Sunday night, with Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres on the scoresheet.
However, there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a disappointing Champions League group-stage campaign for the Catalan outfit, who have only picked up four points from four matches to sit third, three points behind second-placed Inter ahead of Wednesday’s two Group C fixtures.
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
Inter host Viktoria Plzen earlier in the evening, and a win for the Italian side would see them qualify, ending Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the round of 16 in the process. Xavi’s side would then be confirmed to finish third in the section, dropping into the Europa League for the second season in a row.
The La Liga giants need a favour from Plzen and then to beat Bayern, but they have picked up just one point from their last three games in the competition, losing back-to-back matches to Bayern and Inter before being held to a 3-3 draw by the Italian giants at Camp Nou on October 12.
Barcelona can take heart from their last two home matches, beating Villarreal 3-0 and Athletic Bilbao 4-0, but they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in El Clasico on October 16 and have struggled to get going in Europe this term, and Xavi’s side will now be welcoming one of the finest sides in the competition.
Bayern’s spot at the top of the section is not a surprise considering their quality, and it has been an impressive group-stage performance thus far from the Bundesliga champions, recording four wins from four matches, scoring 13 times in the process and conceding just twice.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side beat Inter 2-0 and Barcelona 2-0 in their first two group fixtures before doing the double over Plzen, winning 5-0 at home at the start of the month and 4-2 away last time out.
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
Bayern have now won their last four games in all competitions, including a 2-0 success over Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday, but they are, surprisingly, not top of the Bundesliga at this stage, currently sitting second in the table, one point behind leaders Union Berlin.
The Munich giants, who have won the European Cup on six occasions, were actually knocked out by Villarreal in the quarter-finals of last season’s competition, while they also failed to make it past the final eight in 2020-21, losing to Paris Saint-Germain on away goals.
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
Bayern have not lost to Barcelona since the semi-finals of the 2014-15 Champions League, going down 3-0 at Camp Nou in the first leg; they would be confirmed as group winners on Wednesday with a victory, although first would be secured ahead of this match if Inter fail to overcome Plzen.
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
How and where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich : on TV and online, Predicted line-ups, kick off time Wednesday night
