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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Becky Ashton

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich prediction: Flick fancied to steer Barca to victory

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich betting tips

Two of the giants of Europe go head-to-head on Wednesday when Barcelona host Bayern Munich in the Champions League at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys (8pm, TNT Sports & Discovery+ app).

The two sides have 11 European Cup titles between them and are considered serious contenders to add to their haul by most betting sites, who price Bayern Munich at 9/1 and Barcelona as 12/1 shots.

Both have already tasted defeat in this competition, with Barca losing to Monaco on matchday one, while Bayern were upset by Aston Villa last time out.

Those two defeats came on the road and in a game where the result could be decided by fine margins, football betting sites give a slight advantage to hosts Barcelona, who are a best-price of 7/5, with the visitors 7/4.

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich betting preview

It’s not easy to split this pair. Both sit top of their domestic leagues after big wins at the weekend, Barcelona beating Sevilla 5-1 to make it nine wins out of 10 in LaLiga.

Meanwhile, Bayern put four past Stuttgart to record their fifth win in seven Bundesliga matches.

The European greats have also enjoyed thumping wins in the Champions League this term, Barca beating Young Boys 5-0 last time out, while Bayern were 9-2 winners over Dinamo Zagreb on matchday one.

There’s no shortage of firepower on either side too, with Barcelona netting 39 goals in 12 games and Bayern recording 37 goals in 10 outings. The similarities don’t stop there, though, with both defensively leaving something to be desired.

It’s, therefore, a question of difference-makers and there are a few candidates who could swing this game for their respective team.

Robert Lewandowski has looked rejuvenated this term, scoring 14 times in 12 games for Barcelona, and is backed up by the scintillating pair of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal. Barca are also hopeful Frenkie De Jong could feature on Wednesday after being an unused substitute at the weekend.

Bayern Munich are keeping their fingers crossed Jamal Musiala might overcome a hip issue in time to play and join an attack led by Harry Kane, who already has 13 goals to his name in all competitions.

The Bundesliga side’s injury list is slightly longer than Barcelona’s, but there’s still plenty of quality for Vincent Kompany to choose from as Bayern bid for a seventh straight over the Catalans.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Bayern were beating Barca 8-2, a victory masterminded by Hansi Flick in a season the Bavarians went on to win the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League.

Flick enjoyed great success in Munich, but will be in the opposite dugout this time around for his first meeting with his old side Bayern. And it’s potentially the ex-German head coach, who has Barcelona playing so well, that tips the balance of this game in the Spanish side’s favour.

Flick has won a record-breaking 17 of his 20 games in the Uefa Champions League (85%), the best win percentage of any manager with more than two games, while his opposite number Kompany has taken charge of exactly two games in this competition.

Kompany was outmanoeuvred by an experienced European campaigner in Villa’s Unai Emery last time out and may suffer the same fate in what’s set to be an entertaining contest.

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich prediction 1: Barcelona to win & BTTS - 12/5 William Hill

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich tips: Attacking duo may shine

Kane and Lewandowski are in rare form right now and bet365 offering 3/1 on the pair to both have over 1.5 shots on target may prove generous. Kane has passed the 50-goal mark for Bayern and comes into this one having scored a hat-trick last time out against Stuttgart.

Lewandowski netted twice at the weekend, a decent warm-up for the meeting with his former club, the Pole having scored 344 goals in 375 matches for Bayern before his move to Spain in 2022.

Kane and Lewandowski are unsurprisingly the top two in the goalscorer markets for this fixture on betting apps and it’s not hard to imagine both being heavily involved.

Kane has averaged five shots per 90 minutes across two Champions League games to date with Lewandowski on 2.5 shots per game and we like their chances of having multiple efforts on target.

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich prediction 2: Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane to have over 1.5 shots on target - 3/1 bet365

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich free bets

The potential for goals on Wednesday night seems high so getting 40/1 on both teams to score with Parimatch could prove excellent value.

This special Parimatch sign-up offer is only available to new customers and to qualify, bettors will need to open an account with Parimatch, opt in to this promotion and deposit a minimum of £5.

Next, place a maximum £1 bet on both teams to score in Barcelona vs Bayern Munich at the normal odds. If both teams do find the net, bettors will be paid out at the normal price, with the extra funds awarded as free bets.

For example, a £1 bet on both teams to score at 1/1 would return £2 in real cash and £39 in free bets.

Responsible gambling

Betting can be addictive and it’s important to stay in control of your betting. Remember to always gamble responsibly and never bet more than you can afford to lose.

Gambling sites offer bettors tools to help them stay in control, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self exclusion options.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

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