Europe Champions League - Round 3

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Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Barcelona:
Inaki Pena; Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Bayern Munich:
Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Joao Palhinha; Olise, Muller, Gnabry; Harry Kane

Barcelona will welcome Bayern Munich at Nou Camp in the most interesting fixture of the third round in UEFA Champions League. The hosts started the competition in mixed way, just as their rivals. Barca lost 2:1 to Monaco in the first round, though the reason behind the defeat was easy to recognize. Eric Garcia was sent off after just 10 minutes and it was very hard for the Catalans to escape the defeat. It was quite opposite in the second round when Barcelona beat Young Boys 5:0. Robert Lewandowski scored a brace to become the second player in UEFA Champions League history to score 50+ goals after turning 30 years old, following Cristiano Ronaldo. The Polish forward is now on 96 goals overall in the competition. Lewandowski continued his red-hot form with two goals during the weekend as Barcelona thrashed Sevilla 5:1 to restore their three-point La Liga lead. New coach Hansi Flick is doing an excellent job and the fans are satisfied. But he has several injury worries ahead of this match. First-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is out for the season, as well as Marc Bernal. Flick will also be without Ferran Torres due to a hamstring problem, and centre-back pairing Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.

Bayern Munich also have one win and one defeat after the first two rounds in Champions League. They managed to destroy Croatian Champions Dinamo Zagreb with 9:2 at Allianz Arena. Harry Kane scored four goals to become England's top scorer in Champions League or European Cup history in a demolition of Dinamo. Nevertheless, Bayern suffered a narrow 1:0 loss to Aston Villa in the second round. Two goalkeepers were in focus - while Emiliano Martinez was fantastic, his counterpart Manuel Neuer made a huge mistake which allowed Jhon Duran to net an impressive late winner. The defeat ended Bayern's 41-game unbeaten run in this stage of the Champions League. I believe coach Vincent Kompany felt some pressure, but the situation is much better after the victory against Stuttgart on Saturday. Once again it is Harry Kane to be mentioned. The England forward netted his sixth Bayern hat trick in their 4:0 win, keeping them top of the Bundesliga on goal difference over RB Leipzig. Kompany also has some injury issues. Young Aleksandar Pavlovic is out after broke his collarbone early in the match against Stuttgart. Jamal Musiala is out with a hip issue, while Josip Stanisic and Sacha Boey are also sidelined.

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Prediction:

Barcelona are favorites here, mainly due to home advantage. Coach Hansi Flick will like to impress the former employees, as well as Robert Lewandowski. However, I think Bayern could upset the Catalans. The key reason for my pick is connect with the recent tradition. Barcelona have only ever won twice in 15 previous meetings. The last six encounters have all finished with Bayern's victory, including the memorable 8:2 win in 2020. The series should continue.

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Pick: Bayern Munich to win @ 2.78 with Pinnacle