Barcelona will face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals in Lisbon on Friday. While it is obvious that the German champions are the favourites to qualify for the next round, they would be wise to not underestimate a team with the Catalans’ experience and lead by six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi.
As explained in much more detail in our latest The Barcelona Podcast, the Blaugranes have completed their domestic season empty-handed after an unimpressive year – with poor squad management, plagued by long-term injuries to key players and unnecessary turmoil at institutional level.
Listen to The Barcelona Podcast for our passionate discussion on Barca’s chances vs Bayern Munich, how Dembele could impact the tie, Setien’s surprising substitutions (or lack of!) and more:
Bayern Munich are expected to overcome Barcelona in the quarterfinals if their theoretical superiority if recent performances is to be considered – A difficult pill for Culers to swallow, but also a hard-hitting reality at this moment in time.
Having said that, I find it hard to understand why Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus would think it is a good idea to disrespect Barcelona by saying the following:
“Messi faces his successor as the best player in the world: Robert Lewandowski. He is the best player, not just the best forward.”.
“The Barca of today is no longer the same as before. They have Messi, of course. A player like him is always capable of genius. But he alone will not be enough against this Bayern. Barcelona does not scare me.”
“Naturally Barcelona have enough quality to produce the best of themselves in one game, but I think Bayern will have to make many mistakes and do many things wrong to lose against this Barcelona,”
As if that wasn’t enough, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also felt the need to have a dig at Barcelona’s best player of the season other than Messi:
“Germany is fortunate to have this pair of goalkeepers, although Neuer is truly world-class and Ter Stegen is still on his way to that level,”
Barcelona players are fully aware of the arrogant messages from these (and other) Bayern Munich legends, as Arturo Vidal explained in his pre-game press conference:
“I’ve heard what’s been said but I have not paid much attention to it. I know Bayern’s players and what’s said has come from outside and is not what the players think. They have a lot of confidence but they’re not playing against a Bundesliga team on Friday, they’re up against Barcelona, the best team in the world.”
“I understand the criticism, but Barcelona are the best team in the world. That wasn’t reflected on the pitch in La Liga and we missed out on the title, but if we connect we can beat anyone. That is why I say we are the best and we have to show it against Bayern.”
Quique Setien’s starting XI against Bayern is arguably the most important decision in the whole of his managerial career.
The return of Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal (both banned for Barca’s previous match against Napoli) will help the manager populate a more competitive, experienced midfield from the initial whistle. Having better options to bring on from the bench is also a huge positive.
As Dan and myself debated in much more depth in our latest The Barcelona Podcast, the fact that Ousmane Dembele has been given the green light doesn’t automatically mean his inclusion in the starting XI. I would in fact be surprised if the French international even came on as a late substitute after almost eight months of absence in such a crucial high-intensity match, to be honest.
Although Setien has experimented with several formations lately (and is reportedly planning to opt for a 4-4-2 formation in this match), I would personally choose a 4-1-2-1-2. I strongly believe this is a better formation which maximises our attacking strengths and provides enough balance – especially when the interior midfielders drop to support in defensive transitions.
Here is my preferred Barcelona starting XI for the upcoming Champions League clash against Bayern Munich:
I do realise the inclusion of youngster Riqui Puig, leaving Arturo Vidal out or even picking Busquets ahead of Rakitic may raise a few eyebrows – Listen to our The Barcelona Podcast Bayern Munich Preview Show for detailed reasons for these choices.
Despite the German champions clearly having the edge based on previous and current form, I predict a narrow 2-1 victory for Barcelona against Bayern in Lisbon on Friday.
Francesc Tomàs is a Catalan columnist featured in ESPN, The Guardian and many others. Born and raised minutes away from the Camp Nou, Francesc has been sharing his opinionated views with thousands of faithful Culer listeners via The Barcelona Podcast since 2017.
