The UEFA Champions League returns this week, with two giants of the European game locking horns on the opening day of the 2021/22 campaign.
On Tuesday, Barcelona welcome Bayern Munich to Camp Nou, as both sides aim to gain an early advantage in Group E.
With Benfica and Dynamo Kyiv elsewhere in the group, both Barca and Bayern are expected to qualify for the knockout phase without any issues.
⏳⏳⏳ @ChampionsLeague matchday 1 loading ... pic.twitter.com/DazCo7PsvO— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 12, 2021
⏳⏳⏳ @ChampionsLeague matchday 1 loading ... pic.twitter.com/DazCo7PsvO
Barcelona have made an unbeaten start to the season, picking up two wins and a draw from their three La Liga matches.
After thrashing Real Sociedad 4-2, Ronald Koeman’s side drew 1-1 with Athletic Club, before beating Getafe 2-1 last time out.
As a result, Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Sergi Roberto each have two goals and one assist two their name this term.
Barca will be desperate to make amends for last season’s shortcomings, having crashed out of the Champions League in the round of 16.
But with Lionel Messi in Paris and Antoine Griezmann back at Atletico Madrid, the Catalan powerhouse could struggle to live up to expectation.
Bayern Munich, on the other hand, head into Tuesday’s clash on the back of a dominant 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig.
Julian Nagelsmann got the better of his former club on Saturday, with Robert Lewandowski, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting grabbing the goals.
Not only are Bayern enjoying a six-game unbeaten streak at the start of the season, but they have also won each of their previous five matches.
Indeed, the Bavarians had already seen off Borussia Dortmund, FC Koln, Bremer and Hertha before cruising past Leipzig.
It is also worth noting that Bayern are averaging over 4.5 goals per game this term, having netted a whopping 28 goals in just six outings.
Head-to-head: Remember what happened when these two sides last met back in August 2020? That’s right, Bayern hammered Barca 8-2!
In fact, the German side have enjoyed vast success against the Spanish club in recent times – winning five of their previous six meetings.
Let’s not forget that five of the last six matches between Barca and Bayern have produced over 2.5 goals, too.
Team news: Barcelona will be with the injured quartet of Sergino Dest, Sergio Aguero, Ousmane Dembele and Moussa Wague on Tuesday.
On the flip side, Bayern Munich are sweating over the fitness of winger Kingsley Coman, who recent sustained a calf injury.
Considering Bayern’s recent domination of Barcelona in the Champions League, a comfortable away win is on the cards on Tuesday.
Forebet predicts that Bayern Munich will score over 2.5 goals on their way to seeing off Barcelona without any real problems.