Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Preview, predictions and lineups

The standout fixture of Matchday 3 in the 2024/25 Champions League league phase arrives in Catalonia on Wednesday night as Barcelona host Bayern Munich.

There’s plenty of good feeling surrounding this Barca team heading into Wednesday’s bout, but duels with Bayern have brought out the very worst of the modern-day Blaugrana. The Bavarian behemoths have won the last six head-to-head meetings, a run which includes the notorious 8-2 rout at Camp Nou in 2020.

Bayern have won the last four fixtures by an aggregate score of 11-0.

However, former Bayern head coach Hansi Flick has got Barca firing on all cylinders. The German has shrugged off the dysfunction of Xavi’s final year and turned the Catalonian giants into genuine contenders once more with La Masia at the core of their early success this season.

Barca thumped Young Boys on Matchday 2 after losing at Monaco to begin the league phase, while Bayern are aiming to recover from their defeat at Aston Villa last time out. The two teams each scored impressive domestic victories at the weekend by four-goal margins and lead their respective leagues.

Here is 90min’s guide to Barcelona vs Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

Gavi made his long-awaited return from a knee injury on Sunday, but Flick is unlikely to thrust the young midfielder back into his starting XI for such a high-profile fixture. The same goes for Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo, but there could be a start for Fermin Lopez, who appeared off the bench against Sevilla.

Inaki Pena will be favoured over Wojciech Szczesny between the sticks in Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s absence, while Pau Cubarsi will continue alongside the excellent Inigo Martinez at centre-back. Barca are currently without Ronaldo Araujo, Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen through injury.

Marc Bernal is a long-term absentee having torn his anterior cruciate ligament at the start of the season. Ferran Torres is also set to miss out again with a hamstring injury.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski.

Bayern were dealt a blow at the weekend as it was revealed burgeoning midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic had broken his collarbone in the victory over Stuttgart and will spend weeks on the sidelines as a result.

Joao Palhinha will partner Joshua Kimmich in Vincent Kompany’s pivot on Wednesday.

The visitors are also without Sacha Boey, Josip Stanicic and Hiroki Ito. Jamal Musiala should return to the matchday squad, but he may not be fit enough to start in Catalonia, potentially opening the door for veteran Thomas Muller.

Bayern Munich predicted lineup vs Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Palhinha; Olise, Muller, Gnabry; Kane.

It’s been a mismatch as of late when these two teams have faced off, but Wednesday’s bout should be extremely competitive. Flick has got this Barcelona team purring, with their 5-1 rout of Sevilla on Sunday providing further evidence of their current swagger.

Their cohesion in all phases will test a Bayern side that has also shown plenty of promise at the start of Kompany’s tutelage. They’ll also benefit from the tamer atmosphere of Montjuic compared to Villa Park a few weeks ago.

It’s a tough game to predict, but the effect both of these managers have had on their respective sides should be evident. The battle for control will be fought throughout, with Barca’s pressing against Bayern’s build-up a sub-plot worth keeping a close eye on.

Given the returns of key players and how desperate they’ll be to rid the demons of previous encounters with Bayern, Barca could nick an enthralling game on Wednesday night.

Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Bayern Munich

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