The reigning German Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich will host Spanish giants FC Barcelona on Tuesday (September 13) at the Allianz Arena for a Champions League group stage match. Bayern Munich’s recent success against Barcelona has made them favourites for the clash. However, the Blaugrana are a more competitive team this season than they were in the last couple of seasons. The Bayern Munich vs Barcelona 2022 group C match preview is discussed in this article.
Bayern Munich vs Barcelona Match Preview 2022
Bayern Munich and Barcelona are two of the most successful Champions League teams in history. Bayern have won six UCL titles, while Barcelona have clinched five. Bayern have the advantage in a head-to-head battle. The Bavarians have nine victories over the Blaugrana in 13 meetings.
On the other hand, Barcelona have only two victories and the remaining two matches ended in draws. Bayern Munich, understandably, have the advantage in terms of goal scoring. They have netted 32 times in Barcelona’s goalposts while conceding 16.
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In Tuesday’s contest, the lineups of the two sides will be much different than their latest meeting in December 2021. Lewandowski transferred from Bayern Munich to Barcelona in this summer's window. The Spanish giants also included some quality footballers in their squad, which has helped Xavi to properly implement his game plan on the pitch. On the other hand, Bayern Munich replaced Lewandowski with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane. Besides, Julian Nagelsmann has made some adjustments in his system with Mane playing the lone striker role.
Barcelona’s head coach, Xavi Hernandez, is likely to implement a 4-3-3 system where the Polish goal machine, Robert Lewandowski, will play the main hitman role. There will be Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha to assist Lewandowski upfront. The defenders have a bigger duty in this match to stop Bayern’s attacking players in the match. It will be interesting to see whether they have the capability to stop Bayern’s attacking players in the contest.
Bayern Munich’s Julian Nagelsmann has tried to formulate his game plan for this season with the versatile offensive player Sadio Mane. The Bayern coach might deploy a 4-2-3-1 system which will allow Thomas Muller to remain close to Sadio Mane to provide regular assists. The host will likely play a bit cautiously to not allow Lewandowski a slight chance to find the back of the net.
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Bayern Munich vs Barcelona 2022: Lineups
Two important players for Bayern Munich, Kingsley Coman and Bouna Sarr, will miss the contest due to injury. But Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez are most likely to be back in the starting lineup for the hosts.
Bayern Munich (Predicted Starting XI)
GK: Manuel Neuer;
Defenders: Benjamin Pavard, Matthijs de Ligt, Lucas Hernandez, Joshua Kimmich;
Midfielders: Alphonso Davies, Marcel Sabitzer; Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane;
Forward: Sadio Mane
There is no major injury concern in Barcelona’s squad. Sergio Roberto has been included in the 25-member squad who missed out on playing the Cadiz match due to a muscular problem. Therefore, Xavi has no issue selecting players for this big contest.
Barcelona (Predicted Starting XI)
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen;
Defenders: Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba,
Midfielders: Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Pedri;
Forwards: Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele
Prediction: Bayern Munich 2 – 2 Barcelona.
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Where to watch Bayern Munich vs Barcelona, Group C match of UCL 2022-2023?
Football fans in India and the subcontinent can watch the group C match between Bayern Munich and Barcelona on the Sony TV network. Besides, the match can be seen on the Sony Liv app and website. The match will start on Wednesday at 1 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).
Bottom Line
The Bayern Munich vs Barcelona 2022 UEFA Champions League encounter would be more thrilling to watch than it was the previous year. Because a lot of changes were made in the squads of both the teams during the summer transfer window of 2022, Barcelona’s hitman, Robert Lewandowski, knows a lot about his former club, Bayern Munich, and its players' weaknesses and strengths. This may aid Barcelona in properly executing their game plan on the field. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, is always good at coming up with novel solutions. Therefore, overcoming the host Bayern in this contest won’t be easy for Barcelona.