FC Barcelona begins another UEFA Champions League season on Tuesday, 14th September 2021, with an enthralling opening day fixture against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou.
It is always difficult to predict a match where both teams have numerous players in their ranks who can turn a game around in a trice. Regardless, the bookmakers have revealed their Champions League: Barcelona vs Bayern odds, which we will be breaking down in the following segments. Bookmakers have introduced special Champions League bet offers, making this a great time to bet on the UCL. The match can be watched via live stream through BT Sport in the UK.
FC Barcelona is still trying to figure out life after arguably their greatest ever player – Lionel Messi. The Argentinian legend bid farewell to the club after 18 years, moving on to Paris Saint Germain in the French League. Messi enjoyed tremendous personal and team success with Barca over the years but had a difficult end by the club’s standards. The Spanish giants’ performance in the UEFA Champions League of late has been a cause for considerable concern. Since winning the treble in 2014-15, Barcelona has not only failed to lift the Champions League trophy but also failed even to make the final. With clubs across Europe strengthening with every passing season, the Catalans’ financial trouble and wayward spending have restricted them from ably competing with PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City in recent years.
Although their squad isn’t as strong as in previous seasons, Barca has made a decent start to the campaign with 7 points from 3 La Liga matches. New signing Memphis Depay has been in red-hot form, while Martin Braithwaite has also begun his season strongly. Manager Ronald Koeman has many key players unavailable for selection, including Ousmane Dembele and Sergio Aguero.
Barcelona form: W-D-W-W-L
Barcelona line-up prediction: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Lenglet, Pique, Alba; de Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Depay, Braithwaite, Demir
It is a season for change at Bayern Munich. After coach Hansi Flick’s departure from Bayern Munich to assume control over the German national team, the club is now getting used to life under Julian Nagelsmann. Many football fans around the globe regard the 34-year-old as an expert tactician. Bayern fans hope he can bring another Champions League title to the Allianz Arena before star striker Robert Lewandowski’s peak ends. The Polish forward is instrumental to the way Bayern plays, and his absence was telling as PSG did light work for the Bavarians in last season’s quarter-finals.
They will also hope to quickly incorporate new signing Marcel Sabitzer into the regular team, just as they did with his RB Leipzig teammate Dayot Upamecano. Nagelsmann also does not have many injury concerns, with Kingsley Coman, Alphonso Davies, and Corentin Tolisso all believed to have only minor niggles.
Bayern Munich form: W-W-W-W-D
Bayern Munich line-up prediction: Neuer; Davies, Sule, Upamecano, Stanisic; Goretzka, Kimmich; Gnabry, Muller, Coman; Lewandowski
According to the bookmakers, Barcelona is a heavy underdog heading into this match. Bayern Munich’s superior squad strength and the strong momentum on their side means they are heavy favourites to win on Tuesday evening, albeit not odds-on.
The head-to-head record also favours Bayern Munich heavily over Barca, with the Bavarians winning 6 of the pair 9 Champions League meetings. Barcelona has won 2 of the remaining 3.
Many sportsIn-play modeLive streaming25+ sportsSuperb bonusesEasy to useVIP programLive gamesMany bonusesMany bonuses24/7 supportMobile appsLive bettingMany sportsFast payoutsOne look at the highlights from the pair’s last meeting in 2020 explains the gulf in class between the 2 teams right now. However, it is never that straightforward to predict a big match. Here are our top 3 expert picks:
Bayern has a lot of avenues through which to score a goal, but none better than the great Robert Lewandowski. The Pole is regarded by many as the most lethal finisher in world football. One expects the net to ripple when he gets a chance inside the box. Lewandowski has already been the first scorer in 2 of the 4 matches he has played this season. In the 2 games, he didn’t play, he scored 4 goals, including a hat trick! Bayern Munich should dominate proceedings, and there’s no better player than Robert Lewandowski to get them the first goal. This tip is especially enticing as an in-play bet if Lewandowski is looking to score early.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona have scored at least once in every game of their respective seasons. Scoring should not be an issue for either club, with expert goalscorers like Memphis Depay and Robert Lewandowski on show. A total of 39 goals have been scored in 9 matches between the pair, which equates to an average of over 3 goals per fixture. However, just as history suggests, Bayern tends to score a larger chunk of the goals – a trend that should also continue on Tuesday.
It is no secret that both Barca and Bayern depend heavily on their offence to do the trick. Furthermore, both defences have undergone significant changes over the summer. While Barcelona has added Eric Garcia to the mix, Bayern Munich has lost David Alaba’s services and replaced him with Dayot Upamecano. Youngster Josip Stanišić is also a new face at right-back. The 2 clubs have kept only one clean sheet between them in all their league matches this season. Scoring goals hasn’t been a major issue for either club, but keeping the opposition from doing the same is a problem that has persisted. A total of 4 or more goals shared between the 2 teams is a prediction that has a fair chance of becoming true.
With Barcelona’s squad much weakened since the departure of Lionel Messi, Antione Griezmann, and Miralem Pjanic, it is difficult to see them go head-to-head with a Bayern Munich team that can flaunt a better player in almost every position. Not to mention, the number of injuries Barca has also hurt their chances a great deal. It is Bayern Munich’s game to lose.
Final Verdict: FC Barcelona 1-3 Bayern Munich.
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