Barcelona

Former Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski returns to his old home as Barcelona visit Allianz Arena in Champions League group stage play.

Dembele and Lewandowski saw limited minutes in the La Liga match, coming on as substitutes. This Barcelona side is firing on all cylinders at the moment under manager Xavi Hernandez. He will surely return, as Thomas Muller was ineffective in a forward role. Mane played limited minutes in the 2-2 draw against Stuttgart over the weekend, and will be motivated to down his predecessor. Bayern Munich vs. - Prediction: Bayern Munich 1-3 Barcelona

Like all Bayern managers, Julian Nagelsmann will ultimately be judged by his performance in the Champions League as Xavi's Barcelona visit Munich.

Bayern still retain much of the side that delivered Champions League glory in 2020 under Hansi Flick but they have lost key components including Lewandowski, David Alaba and Javi Martínez. Bayern started their Champions League campaign with a solid 2-0 victory away at Inter Milan and that was enough, for now, to paper over the cracks being shown in the Bundesliga. The European Cup / Champions League is in its 68th season and a total of 22 different clubs have won the competition. Bayern have drawn their last three league games to drop to third in the table but few genuinely expect either Union Berlin or Freiburg to remain above the Bavarian powerhouse next May. Bayern Munich and Barcelona meet again in the Champions League on Tuesday at the Allianz Arena with both sides in search of their former identities. Xavi’s rebuild at Camp Nou is well underway: the former Barça midfielder’s achievements in less than a year at the helm should not be underestimated.

We go over everything you need to know for Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona on UCL Matchday 2.

[1-800-426-2537](tel:18004262537)) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), [1-800-522-4700](tel:18005224700) (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit [ccpg.org/chat](http://ccpg.org/chat) (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit [OPGR.org](http://opgr.org/) (OR), call/text TN REDLINE [1-800-889-9789](tel:18008899789) (TN), ConnexOntario [1-866-531-2600](tel:18665312600) (ONT), or [1-888-532-3500](tel:18885323500) (VA). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/ONT/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Take the German giants to flip the script in Lewandowski’s return to Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich added another draw against VfB Stuttgart Saturday. Form would say Barcelona, but Bayern Munich at home in a big game is hard to bet against. [Champions League](https://www.sbnation.com/champions-league) group play continues Tuesday with [Bayern Munich](https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com) and Barcelona meeting at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

Two of Europe's elite teams battle today as Bayern Munich faces FC Barcelona. See the prediction, odds and betting pick today.

AZ, CT, IA, IL, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, WV, WY only. AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY only. Shutting down Bayern Munich is a lot different from doing it against mid-table sides in Spain, but this Barca team should be able to cope just fine. Bayern isn’t far behind with a +1.79 xGD/90, but it does show that the gap between these sides has begun to shrink. New customers only. The Bavarians are -115 favorites over the Catalan giants, who travel to the Allianz Stadium as +240 underdogs.

When the Champions League draw took place last month, soccer fans around the world, especially the neutrals, were hoping and praying for some incredible ...

But if he doesn't get the ball, it will be difficult for him to score." If Barcelona are to pull off any upset on the road, it does feel like Lewandowski will have to find the net. It's going to be a tall task for either side. He didn't score in the season opener against Rayo Vallecano, but has found the back of the net in the five games since. I'd be happy if our fans welcomed him well," Nagelsmann said ahead of the match. "It'll be a special game for him, and he'll be motivated. "If I see him [Tuesday], I will shake his hand. [Tuesday] we will try to show our personality and compete against one of the best teams in the world." After all, Lewandowski under Nagelsmann scored 50 goals in 46 matches for Bayern last season. Two giants of the sport, each among the five most successful teams in the history of the competition, square off on Tuesday in Munich on [Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/?cbscidmt=sports&ftag=PPM-03-10aie0i#link=%7B%22role%22:%22standard%22,%22href%22:%22https://www.paramountplus.com/?cbscidmt=sports&ftag=PPM-03-10aie0i%22,%22affiliate%22:%22%22,%22target%22:%22_blank%22,%22absolute%22:%22%22,%22linkText%22:%22CBS%20and%20Paramount+%22%7D). Lewandowski, 34, has the third-most UCL hat tricks in history behind only two guys you may have heard of: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. They were awarded with plenty, but none in the group stage bigger than

A huge Champions League night at the Allianz Arena as Bayern Munich face FC Barcelona in Matchday 2 of Group C.

Bayern lie in third place with the Bavarians on 12 points from three wins and three draws. Barça have played Bayern a total of 13 times in official European competition and have only won two of those encounters, with two draws. Goals from Sane, Muller and Musiala were enough to see the Bundesliga giants to secure three points and a 100% group stage record. Many Barcelona fans concerned about the inclusion of Marcos Alonso in the starting XI for the game in Munich. Barcelona have shipped 14 goals in their past three UCL meetings with Bayern and will feature a back four of Alonso (who makes his FCB debut), Kounde, Araujo and Christensen. All over in Plzen and Inter get off the mark with a 0-2 win... ‘I’ve seen both sides of the coin, beating them heavily and losing heavily against them, but we have never won at the Allianz and this speaks of how difficult a place it is to go and the task at hand, but we’re optimistic. Despite leaving the German club with a hint of bad blood with the board, it's clear that the Polish striker s fondly regarded by the players and Bayern fans. Just minutes away now from kick-off and a massive European night awaits as two of the continents biggest sides do battle. Bayern in all red, Barcelona in their third kit of grey with a azul-grana cross. Alonso with Barcelona's first corner of the night... So close from Raphina as the Brazilian strikes and is agonizingly close....

An in-form Barcelona side travels to Germany for a marquee Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich in Group C, otherwise considered this year's Group of ...

In the rest of defense, it's Jules Kounde on the right plus a center-back pairing of Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, with Gerard Pique, Eric Garcia, and Jordi Alba all available as substitutes. Benjamin Pavard and Marcel Sabitzer are also back in the lineup as well, while young Jamal Musiala is part of the attack in place of Serge Gnabry. The young midfielder rips a left-footed shot, but the Bayern veteran produces a better save, flicking his leg out against his body's momentum to keep the shot out. The former Bayern man roasts the home defense with brilliant skill to get free, but he pokes a ninja-kick shot over the bar. In the aftermath, Raphinha goes down under a heavy challenge from Davies at the very edge of the penalty area, but it's waved away. 40th min: Bayern wastes a chance as two attackers crash into each other in the penalty area. He's through on goal with only Neuer to beat thanks to a great thread by Lewandowski, and he dinks his effort off the outside of the left post, out for a goal kick. Stunning work by Raphinha to tee up the star striker, but he blows it by taking a touch rather than hitting it first-time, which everyone in the stadium expected him to do. He offers a hand to help Musiala up, and it's snubbed, without even as much as eye contact from the German youngster. This second half has shown a different Bayern team than we've seen the last few weeks: pumped full of adrenaline and ready to slay a giant. Barcelona came into this match in much better form than Bayern, and it felt like Xavi's men were the favorites even on the road to a team that's given them fits over the years. Then halftime came and went, and a different Bayern team emerged from the tunnel, unrecognizable from the one that departed the Allianz Arena field at the break.

Robert Lewandowski's return to Allianz Arena didn't go as planned as Barcelona endured more misery against familiar foe Bayern Munich.

A trip to [Mallorca](/soccer/team?id=84) on Sept. [FC Augsburg](/soccer/team/_/id/3841/fc-augsburg) on Saturday. [Elche](/soccer/team?id=3751) at Camp Nou on Saturday. [Benfica](/soccer/team?id=1929) were able to beat Barca to second spot in the group last season, but Inter are a stronger team. Then the international break followed by a return to league action against [Bayer Leverkusen](/soccer/team?id=131) on Sept. Xavi Hernandez's team are still clearly rebuilding after the departure of [Lionel Messi](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/45843/Lionel-Messi) to PSG last year and they looked a level below Bayern who once again inflicted a humbling defeat on the five-time Champions League winners. [Viktoria Plzen](/soccer/team?id=11706), so now it will all come down to who does best when they meet in back-to-back matchdays on Oct. [Viktoria Plzen](/soccer/team?id=11706) are in last place. And the win means Bayern have now won by a margin of 19 goals to Barcelona's four during their five-game streak, including the infamous 8-2 quarterfinal victory in Lisbon in 2020. [Best/worst performers](#bestworst) Bayern Munich extended their dominance over Barcelona with a 2-0 Champions League Group C victory in the Allianz Arena, recording their fifth straight win against the LaLiga giants. [Highlights and notable moments](#highlights)

Football is such a funny game. You can dominate 90% of a match but lose everything in just four minutes. That's what happened to Barca today. It's gotta sting ...

Dayot Upamecano took a knock to the knee and limped out of the stadium. Now, Barca just went toe-to-toe with this team in front of a full crowd at the Allianz Arena. The passing is not up to snuff. The performance in the first half was poor. His arrival turned leveled the playing field in what had been a mostly one-sided affair in the center of the pitch. His manhandling of Robert Lewandowski late in the second half sums up his game. This game was a boxing match and Bayern were on the receiving end. for that single inroad that would let the floodgates open. He terrorized that Barca right flank and was an essential outlet for the team in the first half, when every other avenue seemed closed. In the first half, they had [Bayern Munich](https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com) by the throat. [FC Barcelona](https://www.barcablaugranes.com) came to the Allianz Arena and stamped their authority on the game. Remember all those times Bayern played Zidane’s Real off the pitch, but ended up on the wrong end of the score?

SportsBrief.com News ☆ Leroy Sane threw a water bottle in rage after being subbed off against Barcelona - despite scoring in the UEFA Champions League ...

[Barcelona](https://sportsbrief.com/football/barcelona/) for a fee around he region of £43.6m in the summer. The goal was nice, but I wasn't entirely happy with my performance today" [Manchester City](https://sportsbrief.com/football/manchester-city/) forward.

Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez criticised his team's inability to convert their opportunities on Tuesday after losing 2-0 at Bayern Munich in a ...

So the way to play was very good, positive for this part, but negative for the result." We dominated them, we subdued them. I do not like to lose. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com "Last year I was angry because they were far superior to us. "I am angry.

On Tuesday evening in Munich, Barcelona were amply reminded of the age-old soccer maxim that you pay the price if you don't take your chances.

That failing reared its ugly head when they conceded from a corner, and again when they quickly let in a second, Leroy Sané cutting through the heart of a flimsy, out-of-position backline. It was one of those where the player moves towards the ball to prevent it from reaching an unmarked attacker, but the latest nonsense is that handballs aren’t given close to the deck, so Leverkusen got away with it. It’s a shame, as it was a keenly anticipated game seen as an opportunity to gauge the true level of this new Barça side, and the result feels misleading.