Curtain up for the big European stage: On Wednesday evening (21:00 CEST) FC Bayern are away to 26-time Spanish champions Barcelona. While the men from Munich will be looking to build on their flawless record of four wins from four meetings and seal the group win with a game still to play, the home side will be fighting to stay in the competition on the penultimate matchday of the Champions League group stage. Find out who has the better chance of winning from a statistical point of view in our facts and stats on the clash on Matchday 5 of the 2022/23 campaign.
1. History favours the men from Munich
Bayern beat Barcelona 2-0 in the first leg in mid-September with goals from Lucas Hernández and Leroy Sané.
The stats for this Champions League fixture speak clearly in favour of the Munich side. The Reds have won nine of the12 previous meetings, including all of the most recent five. The last defeat against the Catalans came in the 2014/2015 season, when the German record champions were beaten 3-0 in the semi-final first leg at Camp Nou. If Bayern now also win their fifth group game on Wednesday evening, Barcelona will have lost three straight games at home to a German team for the first time ever. Last season, head coach Xavi's team lost 3-0 to FCB in the Champions League group stage, and captain Sergio Busquets' side were also knocked out of the Europa League by eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt a short time later.
2. "At home" at Camp Nou
Bayern celebrated a 3-0 win over the Catalans in the semi-finals on their way to their 2013 Champions League triumph.
Hardly any team feel as at home at the 99,354-capacity Camp Nou as FC Bayern. In their five trips to play the Catalans so far, the Bavarians have come away three times as winners, more than any other team in Europe's premier club competition (two defeats). This means the German record champions and six-time Champions League winners, along with Real Madrid and Juventus, also belong to the select group of teams that have a positive record in the Catalan capital.
3. Bayern with group win in sight
If Inter Milan fail to beat Viktoria Plzeñ in the other group match (18:45 CEST), Bayern will already be confirmed group winners before kick-off in Barcelona. Otherwise, Julian Nagelsmann's team need a win at Camp Nou to ensure they can no longer be ousted from first place. If they succeed, FC Bayern will have won win their group in this competition for the fifth time in a row and for the 17th time overall. Only rivals Barcelona (18 times) have managed this more often in Champions League history, and Real Madrid could also finish their group in first place for the 17th time in 2022/23.
4. Goretzka in top form
On Matchday 4, Leon Goretzka scored a brace in the 4-2 win in Pilsen.
You could call this a majestic peak in form! Leon Goretzka was directly involved in five goals in his two most recent Champions League appearances (two goals, three assists), which is the number of goal contributions he made in his 21 previous appearances in the competition.
5. Barça specialist Müller
In their first meeting in the group, Thomas Müller and his teammates secured a 2-0 home win.
If Thomas Müller lines up against Barça, the three points can almost be considered a certainty. In his eight games against the 26-time Spanish champions so far, the born-and-bred Bavarian has not only triumphed seven times, but the 33-year-old has also contributed a total of ten goals. He's already scored no less than eight times against the Catalans and set up a further two goals. Let's hope that continues on Wednesday evening!
On Sunday evening, Barcelona gained a confidence boost ahead of the clash with Bayern:
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