Barcelona’s penultimate Champions League group-stage fixture takes place on Wednesday evening when they welcome Bayern Munich to Camp Nou.
The Blaugrana have won just once in their group thus far, languishing third in the table behind Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. Their chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds remain slim but not over yet, as Inter must still beat whipping boys Viktoria Plzen to guarantee their spot in the last 16.
After a dramatic 3-3 draw with Inter at home and a 3-1 El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid last week, Xavi Hernandez’s side have responded emphatically with big wins over Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao, respectively.
Barcelona Team News
Barcelona suffered a double-injury blow ahead of their home tie against Bayern Munich as Gavi and Sergi Roberto were forced off against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Gavi had to go off within 15 minutes after being tackled, although Xavi confirmed the early prognosis looks good. However, Roberto could face a spell on the sidelines after a reoccurrence of a shoulder problem.
Andreas Christensen is expected to return shortly from injury, but Memphis Depay and Ronald Araujo remain out.
Predicted Barcelona Lineup vs Bayern Munich (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Marc Andre ter-Stegen has been in fine form this season and deserves to keep his place in between the sticks for Barcelona.
Defence
Lining up in a 4-3-3 shape, an injury to Sergio Roberto is likely to see Jules Kounde operate at right-back in the Barcelona lineup. Marcos Alonso could replace Kounde, joining Eric Garcia at the heart of Barcelona’s backline.
Jordi Alba was an unused substitute in the 4-0 thrashing of Athletic, so he will be fresh to start at left-back in the Barcelona lineup ahead of Alejandro Balde against Bayern.
Midfield
Sergio Busquets’ experience in a decisive game at Camp Nou could come in handy. He will likely start as a single pivot and try orchestrating Barcelona’s play. The Spaniard could be joined by Frenkie de Jong and Pedri in the middle of the park in the Barcelona lineup, with Franck Kessie again taking a role on the bench.
De Jong has been one of Barcelona’s best players in recent weeks and is a shoo-in to start. Pedri gives Xavi’s side energy, legs and creativity, thus, making him such an important player.
Attack
Robert Lewandowski will be extra motivated while playing against former employers, raring to prove a point even though the UCL campaign has been a dampener till now. The Pole has been in blistering form this season, making him one of the first names on the team sheet.
Lewandowski should be flanked by Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati in the Barcelona lineup, with the duo adding pace, flair and creativity to Barcelona’s attack. Xavi will hope his front three clicks in midweek and helps Barcelona get a decisive victory over Bayern.
