Barcelona vs Bayern Munich
The 2021/22 Champions League kicks off with a belter on Tuesday night as Julian Nagelsmann takes his FC Bayern team to the Camp Nou to take on Barcelona.
This Group E clash is truly a blockbuster as the in-form Bundesliga side comes face to face with one of Europe’s most successful clubs. But these are difficult times for the Catalans and their manager Ronald Koeman, who could only guide his team to third place in La Liga last season, before losing his prize asset in Lionel Messi, and Barca’s fans still have the painful memory of their humiliation at the hands of FC Bayern in the 2020 Champions League quarter final when the Germans took the Blaugrana apart, piece by piece, and eventually winning 8-2.
Talking Points
The heat is on Koeman at Barcelona
Head coach Koeman comes into this clash with the dreaded words, ‘vote of confidence’ ringing in his ears after Barca president Joan Laporta publicly backed the boss. Such support usually indicates time is running out for a football manager, and the Dutchman must be feeling rather uncomfortable.
Barca’s exiled player Miralem Pjanic hasn’t helped. Having been dispatched to Turkish side Besiktas on loan, the Bosnian midfielder has recently said that moving to an unfashionable league is better than staying at the Camp Nou under Koeman. He also claims that the departed Messi was non-plussed by the way he was treated, and that allegation is sure to anger Barca fans. The club has over £1bn of debt and the return of Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid at a loss of over £60m has done little to make inroads in the eye-watering financial liability.
Rumours that Neymar wanted to return to Barca before the exit of Messi only rubs salt into the wound, and Koeman is beset by injuries too, particularly to young star Ansu Fati, who has recently been handed the prestigious number 10 shirt worn by Messi, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. Fati has been out since November with a ruptured meniscus, while Ousmane Dembele and new recruit Sergio Aguero also remain sidelined.
A lot depends on the form of Dutch star Memphis Depay, who scored Barca’s winner in a 2-1 victory over Getafe before the international break. That was last time the Blaugrana played after their fixture scheduled against Sevilla was postponed, both teams were hampered by the late arrivals of their South American players.
That has, at least, given Koeman more time to prepare for the visit of Bayern.
Bayern clicking into gear
After drawing their opening league fixture with Borussia Monchengladbach, a resounding 4-1 win over title rivals Red Bull Leipzig was the fifth in a sequence of thumping victories for Bayern. League wins over Borussia Dortmund and Cologne preceded a 12-0 dismantling of Bremen SV in the cup and a 5-0 thrashing of Hertha Berlin back in the league.
New head coach Nagelsmann had a good summer transfer window, bringing in attacking midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and centre back Dayot Upamecano, while crucially hanging on to star man Robert Lewandowski who has scored six goals already in the Bundesliga.
It seems strange that the latest Champions League 2021 betting odds rank the Bavarians in fourth place, behind Messi’s PSG and the two Manchester clubs, as United have re-joined Europe’s elite following the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. At SBOTOP odds of 8.00 Nagelsmann’s team could be a good shout, and a win over Barcelona might see the price drop quite quickly.
History
These two giants of European football are neck and neck in their previous meetings, winning five each and there has been a single draw.
Last season they both exited the competition to Paris Saint-Germain, and Barca’s Round of 16 defeat followed a 3-0 loss to Juventus at the group stage; so they come into this game winless in three Champions League matches.
FC Bayern have an incredible away record in the competition, unbeaten on the road since losing 3-0 in Paris in 2017, a run spanning 18 games in which they have won 14 and drawn four.
Betting Tip
 |
 |
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich | 1X2 Bayern Munich @ 2.14 |
| September 15, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
While die Bayern are the fourth favourites to win the competition, at odds of 21.00 the Bavarians might be fighting for a quarter-final place, along with the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Atletico Madrid. This really is an extremely competitive tournament and we can expect some fantastic action from Europe’s finest teams over the next eight months.
Barcelona are at 2.98 to win this opening fixture with the draw at 3.40, but I think the Germans will be too strong for their hosts and for a Correct Score line, 2-1 to Bayern at odds of 7.52 is a decent long shot.
We’ll be back with the Champions League 2021 news and updates as the drama unfolds, and this game is sure to hit the headlines.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
|
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
