Have Barcelona ever beaten Bayern Munich in Germany?
Barcelona are aware that more than three points are at stake in the game in Munich. A good result against Bayern would settle many pending accounts.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm for this match in the dressing room; the technical staff have been preparing for it for several weeks and the motivation of the players is total,” a member of Xavi’s staff told AS about the atmosphere in the Barcelona camp as the Liga side prepare to renew their acquaintance with Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The match against Bayern is seen as a unique opportunity to heal many open wounds at Camp Nou: the humiliation experienced two years ago in Lisbon, where Barcelona received an 8-2 thrashing in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, as well as being beating 3-0 home and away last season in the group stage, which sent Barça into the Europa League. Then there is the traditional riling of Barça by Bayern’s players and coaching staff, chief among these club captain Thomas Müller, who generates a special animosity within the Barça dressing room.
Barcelona a different beast to last two seasons
But the Barcelona that will play Bayern at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday has little, or almost nothing, to do with the one that Bayern brushed aside last season. First and foremost, Robert Lewandowski will be playing for the away side, the prolific Pole snatched from under the Bavarians’ noses this summer. Jules Koundé, considered one of the best defenders in the world and Pedri, who was unable to play in the previous fixture between the sides due to injury, will be there. Gavi has another year of experience to his name and is a key player within the team while Ousmane Dembélé is in a state of grace alongside the trickery of Raphinha.
Only five players from the last match against Bayern will be in the starting XI on Tuesday: Ter Stegen, Araújo, Sergio Busquets, Gavi and Dembélé. The rest are either gone (Dest, Lenglet) or now have a less prominent role in the team (Frenkie de Jong, Memphis, Piqué and Alba).
Barcelona are convinced that this time, it will be different. Results at the start of the season - five wins and a draw, 20 goals scored and two conceded - support the optimism of a team that will travel to Munich to restore the club’s lost pride in European competition. A win against Bayern would settle many pending accounts and would be a leap forward for Xavi Hernández’s project.
Barcelona have never won in Munich, their best results to date being two draws: 1-1 (2008/09) and 2-2 (1995/96). The balance of results also leans heavily in Bayern’s favour: nine wins, two draws and two defeats.