Barcelona vs Bayern: Blaugrana seek revenge for 2020 humiliation
Barcelona will be desperate to get revenge on Bayern Munich for their 2020 humiliation when the two sides collide at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. Interestingly, this will be the first time the Blaugrana have had to take on die Roten without Lionel Messi since 1998, with the Argentinian superstar leaving for PSG in arguably the most shocking transfer move of the summer. The last time Barcelona met Bayern was during the quarter-finals of the 2019/2020 edition of the Champions League, and Bayern won in typical ruthless fashion, scoring eight times en route to the semi final.
At that time, all knockout rounds were being played as one-off affairs due to COVID-19, but Barcelona definitely will be grateful they didn’t have to go through yet another 90 minutes of disgrace after the horror show from the first leg. That 8-2 loss is now Barcelona’s worst ever defeat in European competition, and they now will have to try to erase those horrible memories when Bayern show up, as the Bavarians will definitely be looking to crush them once again.
After an unusual “slow” start by Bayern’s standards, the Bavarian machine is now in full swing. Not surprisingly, Robert Lewandowski has again raced to the top of the goal-scoring charts, with six goals from just his last four matches. After last season, which saw him break Gerd Muller’s nearly 50-year-old record by netting 41 times, one can be pretty much guaranteed that the 33-year-old Polish ace will be looking to better his own feat this time around.
Bayern have made some acquisitions this summer, and again, turned to their rivals to secure options. Julian Naglesmann, who managed RB Leipzig before being appointed to the Bayern post, has brought players like Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer along with him. They come into this match having crushed Naglesmann’s former side 4-1 at the weekend, and will be taking on a Barcelona team who will be a bit more well-rested due to their match against Sevilla being postponed.
Overall, Ronald Koeman’s side are still unbeaten in La Liga, with two wins and a draw, but this is a vastly different squad. Messi’s departure may have hogged all the headlines, but they also lost Antoine Griezmann, with the 2018 World Cup winner returning to Atletico Madrid on deadline day – and taking a pay cut to do so.
Barcelona have since attempted to plug the gaps, bringing in Manchester City star Sergio Aguero – whom they’d hoped was going to partner up with his friend and international colleague Messi – as well as Lyon’s Memphis Depay. They’ve also decided to hand over the famed no. 10 shirt to Ansu Fati, in a clear sign of their faith in the young Guinean attacker, but unfortunately, he’s set to miss this one due to injury, along with Ousmane Dembele and Aguero.
Bayern’s injury list, by contrast is nowhere as terrible. Yes, they’ll be missing players like Corentin Tolissio, Serge Gnabry, and Kingsley Coman, but they have others like Leroy Sane and youngster Jamal Musiala – who grabbed a goal and an assist in the demolition of RB Leipzig at the weekend – to provide support for the big man up front. And they’ve been given another huge boost with the returns of both Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez to the fold, making their defense that much more stronger.
Barcelona will be desperate for more than just revenge on Bayern. Koeman’s side are winless in their last three Champions League games. The last time they lost four games in this competition was during 2013, and that was when Bayern, once again, humiliated them 7-0 on aggregate during the semi-finals. Interestingly, that year was also when die Roten went on to win the title as well. Worryingly for the hosts, Bayern have been unstoppable in their travels, with their last loss being in September 2017; since then, they’ve won 14 and drawn four.
In short, it will be another major test for Barcelona against an opponent who’s caused them much trauma in the not too distant past, and now they’ll have to do so without the talismanic Messi. Will the hosts be able to get some modicum of revenge on Bayern for their 2020 thrashing? Or will it be yet another vintage mauling of an opponent done in true Bayern-style?
