Barcelona battle Bayern Munich face off tonight in one of the headline ties of the new-look Champions League.
Two of European football’s biggest heavyweights clash at Camp Nou for the first time since the old group stage in 2022/23, when Bayern continued their dominance of this fixture by winning 2-0 at home and 3-0 away.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW BARCELONA VS BAYERN MUNICH LIVE!
The free-scoring German giants head back to Catalonia on Wednesday evening having gone back to the top of the Bundesliga under new head coach Vincent Kompany - putting four past Stuttgart last time out - as well as hitting Dinamo Zagreb for nine in their Champions League opener, though they were narrowly defeated by Aston Villa last month on Harry Kane’s return to England.
Barca are also in generally good spirits on the pitch at present, sitting three points ahead of fierce rivals Real Madrid at the LaLiga summit ahead of the latest edition of El Clasico on Saturday night after thrashing Sevilla 5-1. However, like Bayern they also have one win and one defeat to their name in this new league phase, bested away at Monaco before easing past Swiss team Young Boys.
This high-profile showdown features ex-Bayern goal machine Robert Lewandowski going up against his former club, while current Barca boss Hansi Flick also managed Bayern between 2019-21.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off tonight, Wednesday October 23, 2024.
The match will take place at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Where to watch Barcelona vs Bayern Munich
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 4, with coverage beginning after the conclusion of Celtic’s trip to Europa League holders Atalanta in the early kick-off window.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich team news
Barcelona XI: Pena, Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde, Casado, Gonzalez, Yamal, Lopez, Raphinha, Lewandowski
Subs: Szczesny, Kochen, Gavi, Fati, Torre, Victor, Olmo, de Jong, Fort, Gerard, Dominguez
Bayern Munich XI: Neuer, Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies, Kimmich, Joao Palhinha, Olise, Muller, Gnabry, Kane
Subs: Peretz, Ulreich, Goretzka, Sane, Coman, Dier, Ibrahimovic, Laimer, Tel, Musiala, Aznou
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich prediction
Bayern have absolutely dominated this fixture over recent times, only losing two of 13 previous meetings with Barcelona in the Champions League.
They have won four in a row without conceding since that 8-2 annihilation in the 2019/20 quarter-finals in Lisbon, brushing aside the Blaugrana time and time again.
The onus will be on Flick to end such a horror run against his former side, especially on home soil with another Clasico looming large at the weekend.
Both of these sides have been banging in the goals for fun during impressive domestic starts and have made similar openings in Europe, so we’re opting for an entertaining draw that should not be short on drama and entertainment.
Draw, 2-2.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Barcelona wins: 2
Bayern Munich wins: 10
Draws: 1
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich match odds
Barcelona to win: 11/8
Bayern Munich to win: 17/10
Draw: 29/10
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).