Bayern with “chance to make a statement” in Barcelona

Bayern’s final European trip of the year is a big one as Julian Nagelsmann and his team head to Barcelona for Matchday 5 of the Champions League group stage on Wednesday (kick-off 21:00 CEST, live coverage on fcbayern.com and in the app with our live text and web radio). For the current group leaders, this game is about securing top spot for good. “Barcelona is always special. They’re a great club, a great team. We’re prepared for a big game,“ said CEO Oliver Kahn. “We may have already qualified for the round of 16, but we still want to achieve our goal and win the group.” Here’s all you need to know on the match at the Camp Nou.

Check out the best photos from the day before the game:

Situation for Bayern

Bayern have a perfect record of four wins from four so far in the Champions League this season. The 4-2 victory at Viktoria Plzen last matchday ensured the Munich club will be in the knockout stage again. Another positive result in Barcelona could even see first place guaranteed with a game to spare. “We want to top the group, so we need to win tomorrow,” said Matthijs de Ligt at the press conference on Tuesday.

Coach Nagelsmann also stressed the importance of the game: “It’s about top spot in the group. It’s about winning a prestigious fixture between two very big clubs in Europe. If you want to compete for the Champions League title, you shouldn’t allow too many weaknesses. It’s also about making a statement both internally and externally. Tomorrow is a chance to make a statement.”

Here’s some stats and facts ahead of this classic Champions League fixture:

Opponents Barcelona

Barcelona are under pressure in the Champions League and no longer have their qualification fate in their own hands. The Catalan giants have four points from the first four outings, sitting third in Group C, three points off Inter Milan in second. Since Barcelona have an inferior head-to-head record with the Italians (losing 1-0 in Milan and drawing 3-3 at home), Xavi Hernandez’s team need to earn more points from the remaining two games than Inter if they are to go through to the round of 16. However, their hopes could be dashed even before kick-off at the Camp Nou if Inter beat Plzen at home in one of the day’s early games.

“Regardless of what happens in the Inter Milan game, we need to win our game,” Xavi stated at his press conference on Tuesday. “They’ve brought back a lot of elements of the style from the time when they were really successful, with very good counter-pressing, lots of pace in their game,” Nagelsmann added. “They’re definitely one of the best teams in Europe.”

Barcelona come into this game on the back of a good domestic result:

Fitness updates

Long-term absentees Bouna Sarr and Lucas Hernandez remain sidelined for this game, with captain Manuel Neuer and Leroy Sane also both staying in Munich as they continue their respective recoveries. However, Thomas Müller is back after missing the Hoffenheim win on Saturday with a stomach bug.

Barcelona will take on Bayern without Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto.

Bayern and Barcelona’s histories have been shaped by some big figures:

What the coaches say

Julian Nagelsmann: “We’re well prepared. We want to win, finish first and want to see a better first half than we did in the reverse fixture. We want to receive deserved congratulations after a good game. We’ll give everything for that.“

Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona head coach): “We played well in the reverse fixture but weren’t clinical enough. Things didn’t work out well for us. We didn’t get any points, but that can happen in football. We need to be critical of ourselves and prove that we’re on the same level as teams like Bayern. We’re in a very unfavourable situation. I don’t believe in miracles but I do have hope of progressing.”