Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Prediction: 23/10/2024

FC Barcelona, after struggling in recent years in the Champions League with two group stage eliminations and a quarter-final exit against PSG last season, are hoping to make a strong comeback in this revamped format of the competition. Their campaign, however, got off to a rocky start as they were defeated 2-1 by AS Monaco, largely due to an early red card for Araujo.

Thankfully, the Blaugrana bounced back with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Young Boys at the start of the month. In La Liga, despite a surprising 4-2 loss to Osasuna, Hansi Flick’s side has performed well, securing a comfortable 3-0 win against Alavés before the international break. Barcelona will next face Sevilla before this high-stakes clash against Bayern Munich, hoping to maintain their top spot in La Liga.

Bayern Munich, who reached the semi-finals of last season’s Champions League before being knocked out by eventual winners Real Madrid, are once again among the favorites to go deep in the tournament. They made an explosive start to this year’s campaign by thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 9-2, but faltered in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in their second group stage match, leaving them in a tricky spot in the standings. In the Bundesliga,

Bayern, led by Harry Kane, have found themselves battling to stay at the top, currently tied on points with RB Leipzig. They head into this encounter after two consecutive draws in the league—1-1 against Bayer Leverkusen and 3-3 with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Barcelona has received some positive injury news with Frenkie de Jong returning to action after a long absence. He could be in contention for a starting spot alongside defenders Araujo and Christensen, and summer signing Dani Olmo. However, they will still miss Gavi, who is recovering, as well as Ter Stegen (likely out for the season), Fermin Lopez (setback in recovery), and Bernal (season-ending injury).

Robert Lewandowski, with 10 La Liga goals and 2 in the Champions League, remains in top form, while wingers Lamine Yamal (4 goals, 5 assists) and Raphinha (5 goals, 4 assists) continue to impress. Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is expected to start in goal, having come out of retirement to cover for Ter Stegen’s absence.

Bayern Munich, however, are also dealing with significant injury concerns. Summer signing Hiroki Ito, Josip Stanisic, and right-back Sacha Boey are all unavailable. In addition, key players like Jamal Musiala (3 goals), French defender Dayot Upamecano, and young star Mathys Tel are also set to miss the trip to Barcelona.

Nevertheless, Bayern will still have formidable firepower with Harry Kane (5 goals, 4 assists in the Bundesliga, and 4 goals in the Champions League) leading the line, supported by German international Serge Gnabry (2 goals, 2 assists) and French winger Michael Olise (4 goals, 2 assists).

 

Prediction

When Bayern Munich visits, excitement is usually guaranteed. Ten of Bayern’s 14 away matches this season have featured over 2.5 goals, and Barcelona has seen similar high-scoring outcomes in 10 of their last 16 Champions League matches. Expect another thrilling encounter.

Prediction: Barcelona 2 : 3 Bayern Munich