Xavi’s Barcelona will be fighting to confirm their participation in the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League when they travel to Allianz Arena on Wednesday night to take on German powerhouse Bayern Munich. Julian Nagelsmann’s men have already reached the round of 16 and are poised to finish as Group E leaders but their opponents are involved in a two-way race with Benfica for the second spot.
As expected, the Group stage was a walk in the park for Bayern as they register a comfortable win in their first five games without any hustle. The Bundesliga champions are the only third side along with Liverpool and Ajax to have a perfect record at the Group stage of the European competition.
Barcelona though have struggled to get going this season as they have managed to record just two wins against Dynamo Kyiv (home and away). They lost their tournament opener against Bayern and were beaten 3-0 by Benfica in their away game. To make the matter worse, Barca recorded a goalless stalemate against Benfica on matchday five on their home soil.
The UEFA Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Barcelona is slated to begin at 1:30 am (IST).
UEFA Champions League 2021-22 Bayern Munich vs Barcelona: Team News, Injury Update
Bayern Munich’s senior team has been ravaged by the COVID-19 outbreak in recent weeks and a number of their key players are expected to miss this fixture. Joshua Kimmich has been sidelined from the squad after contracting the virus and is expected to sit out from this game as well. The duo of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Michael Cuisance could also be benched. Josip Stanisic, Bouna Sarr and Marcel Sabitzer will not be available for selection due to their respective injuries. Lucas Hernandez picked up a knock during their match against Dortmund and could be rested.
Barcelona’s number 10 Ansu Fati has not been able to prove his fitness and will miss the game. Sergio Aguero, Pedri, Martin Braithwaite and Sergi Roberto have been also sidelined with injuries. Pablo Martin Paez Gavira, aka Gavi, picked up a head injury during their game against Real Betis and it will be hugely controversial of Xavi to field him for this game.
Bayern Munich vs Barcelona probable XI:
Bayern Munich Predicted Starting XI: Neuer; Pavard, Sule, Nianzou, Richards; Roca, Goretzka; Gnabry, Muller, Musiala; Lewandowski
Barcelona Predicted Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Dest, Araujo, Pique, Alba; Gonzalez, Busquets, De Jong; Dembele, Depay, Coutinho
What time will Bayern Munich vs Barcelona match kick-off?
The UEFA Champions League 2021-22 match between Bayern Munich vs Barcelona will be played on Thursday, December 9 at the Allianz Arena.
What TV channel will show Bayern Munich vs Barcelona match?
The Sony Sports Network has the broadcasting rights for today’s UEFA Champions League 2021-22 Bayern Munich vs Barcelona.
How can I live stream Bayern Munich vs Barcelona fixture?
The fans can also catch the live action from Bayern Munich vs Barcelona match on the SonyLIV app.
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