UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona Preview, Odds, Prediction

The great derby of two European titans, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, meet in round 2 of the UEFA Champions League. The game takes place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, the home of the Bundesliga champions. These two teams have 11 European titles combined and a very colorful background. The names on both ends guarantee a massive spectacle, and we can’t wait for the game to begin. They were in the same group in the previous edition, and the football destiny decided to cross their paths once again.

Preview

Bayern Munich (-120) again failed to win in the Bundesliga, playing 2-2 with Stuttgart on Saturday, allowing a goal in the stoppage time. The guests leveled the score from the penalty, but to be honest, they deserved to stay unbeaten in Munich, despite what anyone thinks.

Following a 0-2 win in Milan over Inter, this was a morale-killer, but the Bavarians have no choice but to keep going. In nine competitive games this year, Bayern posted six wins and three draws, however, being much better on the road than at home.

After winning against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga opener, 2-0, they played 1-1 against Borussia Monchengladbach and 2-2 against Stuttgart. Whether this is because they relax or underestimate the rival, we don’t know, but there isn’t any room for error.

Barcelona (+300) shifted into a higher gear since the season opener, winning five games in a row, with only two conceded goals and twenty scored on the other end. They have five wins and one draw this year, which was in the opening event against Rayo at home.

Xavi’s team is looking lethal, and they are blitzing the rivals constantly, scoring two or three goals in short spans. Their biggest power are eruptions that can’t be controlled, which we saw on numerous occasions over the previous month and more.

Only the game against Rayo, 0-0 was with fewer than three goals, and that was one of five clean sheets Blaugrana recorded. We didn’t count in a 3-3 draw against Man City, which was in a friendly international.

Latest News

Koman and Sarr are unavailable for the home team.

Sergi Roberto is questionable for Barca.

Head to Head

The two sides met in the group stage last year. Bayern didn’t have any trouble in beating the shocked Barca, who was in problems at the time. Both events ended with the same result, 3-0 for the Germans. Prior to that game, the most recent was in 2020, in the quarterfinals once Barca suffered one of the biggest humiliations in its history, with the Bavarians winning in Lisbon 8-2. It was one game only due to COVID-19 problems.

Prediction

Barca is looking great, but we won’t be keen on betting against Bayern even though the Germans struggle at home lately. That would simply be a very stupid thing to do. Instead, we are focusing on goals here, with the primary choice being over 2.5 scores. The odds on that are currently -295, and even though it might be low for some, that is the best possible pick. The second is two or more goals in the second half, when the game develops, and the odds are a bit higher there, -200.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals -295

Here are more previews for the UEFA Champions League games.

• Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund
• Glasgow Rangers vs. Napoli
• Liverpool vs. Ajax 
• Real Madrid vs. RB Leipzig