Champions League Quarter-Final Preview: Barça - Bayern Munich
Tuesday, 07 April 09, 09:48 AM · Comments (20)
Pep Guardiola has named 19 players for tomorrow night's first leg game with Bayern Munich. Toure Yaya and Alex Hleb return after injury, the only players still not fit are Eric Abidal and Gabi Milito, while Jorquera, Pedro and Victor Sanchez have been left out for tactical reasons. The two sides are the two highest scoring teams in this season's Champions League with 24 goals each from eight games, though Barça scored four more in the qualifying round against Wisla Krakow. We will be hoping to take a healthy lead to Germany for next Tuesday's return game.
As expected Bayern are without main striker Miroslav Klose, and they will also be without central defenders Lucio, who was injured in the 5-1 humiliation at Wolfsburg on Saturday, and Daniel Van Buyten who will miss the game due to his father's serious illness. Argentinian Martin Demichelis and 19-year-old Breno Borges are expected to start in the centre of defence. Left back Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribery will both start despite rumours of knocks after the Wolfsburg game though Lahm, who will mark Leo Messi, is said to be not at 100%.
The defeat at Wolfsburg has meant Bayern slip down to fourth place in the Bundesliga with 48 points from 26 games. They are three points behind leaders Wolfsburg who are level on 51 points with Hamburg. However, Bayern should not be underestimated, they reached the last eight after beating Sporting Lisbon 12-1 on aggregate, and in Franck Ribery they have one of Europe's most dangerous players. Up front Luca Toni and Lukas Podolski could cause us plenty of problems. Added to this, ex-blaugrana Mark Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger and Ze Roberto can all score goals from midfield, so Barça will do well to keep a clean sheet.
Bayern's weakness is in defence and Leo Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry will be hoping to add a few more to the 81 goals they have scored between them so far this season. Henry seems certain to return to the team which will mean Andres Iniesta moves back into midfield alongside Xavi and Toure. In defence Carles Puyol could be asked to play at left back again in place of Sylvinho, which would mean the continuation of Gerard Piqué and Rafa Marquez as the centre-back pairing.
People always talk about the importance of not conceding in these games but for me I don't think it matters too much. As long as we can take a two-goal lead to Munich I think we can consider it a good result. Nobody has beaten us by two goals all season and I don't think Bayern will be capable of doing so unless we completely self destruct in Germany. An early goal would be fantastic but if we don't get it then we must continue with a patient approach as the chances will undoubtably arrive.
I have to say I can't wait for the game to begin. There is nothing like the tension of these knock-out stages when you know that one slip can leave you waiting twelve months to get another chance. We have the team to go all the way this season, let's just hope we play like we have for most of the season, and as long as we don't suffer any serious bad luck and we should be looking forward to a semi-final tie against either Chelsea or Liverpool.
Barça's 19-man squad: Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Puyol, Marquez, Piqué, Caceres, Sylvinho, Toure, Busquets, Xavi, Keita, Gudjohnsen, Iniesta, Hleb, Messi, Bojan, Eto'o, Henry.
Possible starting XIs:
Barça: Valdés; Alves, Marquez, Piqué, Puyol; Xavi, Toure, Iniesta; Messi, Eto'o, Henry.
Bayern: Rensing; Lell, Demichelis, Breno, Lahm; Schweinsteiger, Van Bommel, Ze Roberto, Ribery; Toni, Podolski.
My prediction: Barça 4 Bayern 1
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20 Comments · Add yours
I'm highly excited for this match
Barca 2-0
I dont wana jinx and it im sure some ppl will think this is over optimistic but im thinking 4-1. We rested a lot of players at the weekend. Henry will be hungry for goals, Messi will be raring to go after two uncharacteristically poor displays and Eto'o is well....Eto'o. This is the moment that these players have been waiting for all season, the final stretch and I am sure under Pep they will give it their all. Dont get me wrong, Bayern are a top quality side but i do not think they will have enough to stop us from scoring plenty of goals at home. I am pretty sure the gameplan will be to score, score and score more so that we can take a very healthy lead to Germany in the 2nd leg. Maybe 4-2 is a little more realistic but im hoping we can keep enough possession to keep them away from our goal.
we just cannot let this game slip buy. we are the best team in europe this year, bar none. and bayern do not deserve to get past us. they have been so average in germany, incurring some heavy defeats besides last weekend. (u guys see grafite's goal by the way, amazing, youtube it!). their defense seeems way too shaky and the midfield doesnt impress me. if we keep ribery semi locked down we should be ok.
united looked so poor tonight. porto desrved to kill them. i hate those red devils so much.
barca 3 - 1 bayerrn
i really hope we can score more
3-0 for Barca
Bayern simply cant keep up with us. I just re-saw our 5-2 bashing of Lyon, and if we can keep that level for another game, then Munich well running around like school girls.
3-1 for barca
i think we can do it
bayern isnt bad but isnt the best either
i saw them in the bundesliga for a while and they dont impress
they give up and are boring
its true that they are an attacking team but lets not forget that the bundesliga is easrier than the spanish league
nywayz js get hold of ribery and toni and fine
but lets watch for shweinsteiger and podolski
nywayz hope we win
n man utd are ****** lucky bast****
Nic...4-1 seems confident! I LOVE THAT!
But I'm thinking 3-1 our way.
Going to put down some $ on it now!
Barça 5-1 !!
I'm very optimistic going into the clash. However, I dont think Bayern will collapse. I go for a 3-1.
jesus i hope we win. ive been talking so much shit to my united friends, saying how poor they are, and lucky and annoying and selfrighteous and unobjective, and glory hunting! i will look like such a shit if things go badly for us.
Here is an interesting expert poll about the best 50 forwards in Europe from the German publication Sport Bild.
If you are not effecient in German:
- platz:rank/place
- alter:age
- verein:association/club
- marketwert:market value/worth
- torquote:scoring effeciency/goal per game
LINK
I feel you Blau, i have been talking crap to all my utd friends too. In theory we should beat Bayern and we should beat them quite easily, BUT many ppl were saying Utd got the easiest draw and look what happened!! Thats the thing about the CL, what makes it so exciting....anything can happen, especially once you reach this stage. Arsenal and Utd were both favotires to go through against Porto and Villareal, now anything can happen; Arsenal will prob go through, but Utd are going to have it tough and I personally think Porto have done enough.
So....lets not get too confident (might be too late for that) and lets just hope our boys perform like we know they can tonight.
Barca should win. But let's not be overconfident. 5-1 seems to be a bit exaggerated. Bayern did not make it this far by luck. Even though they are not playing their best futbol right now they do have players that can create scoring opportunities. Having said that, Lucio and Van Buyten being out is big. Barca should take advantage of Bayern's absences. Prediction 3-1. (and please vote on the poll asking if Valdez should be barca's keeper next season, maybe the board will listen to our outcry and oust Valdez. FUERA VALDEZ!!!)
Really i don't like to make prediction some times because i have feeling more warry but still i have confidence our players.
every body knows some players always makes mistake big games especially( V.valdes and back four (defendce) ).
all in all i beleive fantastic six ( Messi,Eto'o,Henry,Xavi,Iniesta and Toure yahya).
we hope to progress to the semi final.
my prediction: BARCELONA 2 - BAYERN MUNICH 0
4-0 Barca.
FCBftw:
ALL ready i have voted:
i don't like to see him next season.
acually i was liked him before:
fcbarca 1-2 liverpool. that night i was ill and lost the confidence of him. although we can't
forgot his time of hero especially barca againts arsenal, final champion league in paris.
all in all he is one of the legendary barca players.but at the moment the time is running and every player going to lose his best and after his best we may say good bye and remember you what you have done.
Latest reports say that Lahm won't play (mind games from the Germans?) and goalkeeper Rensing will be dropped so that Butt can play.
iniesta was awesome tonight!!! 4-1? nic, you overestimated the germans!
if we defend like we did, we can beat whoever we face, it looks likely that it will be chelsea. all the defenders were amazing, and nothing much to say about our attack and midfield, they were impressive as usual. we should have scored many more. the only negative things was marquez got a yellow card and will miss next match and messi got a card for no reason.
Its 4-0 XD