Barcelona and Bayern Munich set for titanic Champions League quarterfinal tie

FC Barcelona vs Bayern München - 14/08/2020

Champions League | Preview

14/08/20

Barcelona and Bayern Munich set for titanic Champions League quarterfinal tie

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Barcelona and Bayern Munich will meet on Friday night in the most exciting Champions League quarterfinal tie of the round.

The clubs will meet with a ticket to the semifinals on the line to face either Manchester City or Lyon. Barcelona and Bayern Munich are on the more difficult side of the Champions League bracket, and only one of the clubs can go through.

Barcelona may have the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the team, but leading sportsbooks have them listed as the fourth favourite to lift the Champions League trophy. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, are currently second in favourites odds.

📺🌍⚽ #BarçaBayern https://t.co/9xUXCX9zUd
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 13, 2020

The Germans came through the quarterfinals in impressive fashion eliminating Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate. Coach Hansi Flick has Bayern Munich playing their best football of the season.

The team could get a significant boast for Friday night’s quarterfinal. Winger Kingsley Coman and centre-back Jerome Boateng took part in Bayern Munich’s first training session in Portugal. The duo must still take fitness tests but are in line to make the team currently.

In the buildup to Barcelona’s Champion League round of 16 second leg win over Napoli, the talk was about the club’s internal struggles and chaos. The Blaugrana overcome any issues on the pitch in the second leg, however, to claim a 3-1 win.

Manager Quique Setien has a few injury issues heading into the one-off quarterfinal. Ousmane Dembele is still suffering from a long-term hamstring problem while centre-back Samuel Umtiti is a major doubt due to a knee problem.

Setien will have midfielders Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal back from suspension after they missed the second leg versus Napoli.

The big injury news heading into the quarterfinal showdown surrounds Messi. He suffered a leg injury versus Napoli after sustaining a knock just above the ankle. Barcelona have talked down the severity of the injury and Messi is expected to play.

In spite of the club being positive, reports have emerged that Messi could be a doubt for the game. Other news has leaked that the Argentine missed a Barcelona training session this week due to the injury.

Messi has carried the Blaugrana through the season and without him, Barcelona could struggle in the attacking third. The last two seasons, even with Messi on the pitch, Barcelona capitulated in the Champions League knockout stage versus Roma and Liverpool, respectively.

Barcelona have not played a team with an attack like Bayern Munich’s this season. Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry could bully the Barcelona backline. If Messi plays, however, Barcelona will keep the game close.

Friday night’s game should see over 2.5 goals as the quarterfinal ends in a stalemate. The game could need extra-time to sort out which team qualifies for the semifinals.

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