Barcelona versus Bayern Munich was probably the final most people wanted to see in this season’s Champions League, however, despite only one of those clubs able to make the showpiece in Berlin on 6th June, we get to see two games between the two. Wednesday’s game in Barcelona will be the first time Pep Guardiola has returned to the Nou Camp as manager since leaving in 2012. It’s a story which adds further intrigue to a clash which is full of it. Barca’s resurgence – so soon – under current manager Luis Enrique has been somewhat of a surprise, but there is a case to be made that they are back to a similar standard to what they were when Guardiola’s team was at their peak. Bayern, on the other hand, have only shown glimpses of what many feel they are capable of, and the challenge for them is to put together a complete tie following some unconvincing away performances.
PSG were simply no match for a dominant Barcelona in the quarter-finals, with the Catalan club running out 5-1 winners on aggregate. Once again it was their front three of Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi who made the difference, with the trio combining for all five goals. Messi was the only one of them not to score over the two games but his importance to the team is unquestioned and it is no surprise to see Barca returning to something like the level they were at in 2011 when their talisman has also picked up his game after an injury affected last couple of years. They remain on course for another treble, a feat they last managed in 2009 under Guardiola, but although the season is drawing to a close, there remains an awful lot of challenges ahead in order to win those trophies.
Even though Bayern lost the first leg of the quarter final 3-1 away to Porto, the Bavarian’s ultimately progressed following a resounding 6-1 win at the Allianz Arena. It was not dissimilar to their previous round when they settled for a goalless draw in the Ukraine against Shakthar Donetsk before thumping the same opponent in Germany. Should they turn in another below-par performance away from home, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that they will not be able to turn the tie around as Barca are on a different level to any of the other teams they have faced thus far, and are likely to take an even greater advantage to Munich next week. This was the stage that Bayern were eliminated at last season, in Guardiola’s first year as manager. It would surely be seen as a failure if that were to happen for the second successive season.
Unlike their Bundesliga opponents, Barcelona can just about call upon a fully-fit squad for this game. With the exception of Jeremy Mathieu, who would have probably had to settle for a place on the bench anyway, Luis Enrique has all his stars available to him. Pep, his former team-mate at Barca, is still without a host of key players, including Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and David Alaba. The Germans hope that Robert Lewandowski will be able to play despite a facial injury, which would be huge boost considering his increased importance due to the absentees.
It really is a match that whets the appetite for any football fan and the hope is that it lives up to the expectation. It is unfortunate that the first leg, and most likely the whole tie, will be devoid of several world class talents but there remains an obscene amount of quality on both sides to make this a potential classic. Bayern were far too good for Barcelona when the two last met, at the same stage, two years ago. The German’s went on to win the Champions League after a hugely impressive 7-0 win on aggregate, but this is a completely different Barca side. Winners of 15 of their last 16 games in all competitions, the current leaders of La Liga are playing at the top of their game and will be confident of beating anybody at this point in time. Even if the away team came with a fully-fit squad I think they would find themselves up against it, as it is, I can see Barcelona taking a big step towards the final in Berlin by recording a win in this first leg.
Barcelona 3/4 @ Bet365
