Bayern Munich are taking on Barcelona tonight aiming to complete a perfect record in the Champions League group stage. Bayern are top of Group E with five wins from five, having scored 19 goals and conceded only three, and they could match Ajax and Liverpool who last night both secured their sixth wins of the group stage as they cruised into the knockout rounds.
It is a different story for Barcelona who have struggling in the post-Messi era, and new manager Xavi is facing a tough task. Barca are seventh in La Liga, 16 points behind leaders Real Madrid, and they are currently second in this Champions League group with seven points. In visiting the Allianz Arena tonight they face the hardest possible fixture, while third-place Benfica, on five points, host group strugglers Dynamo Kiev knowing a win could knock Barca down to third place and out of the competition.
Julian Nagelsmann’s team cruised to a 3-0 win over Barca at the Nou Camp when the two teams met in September. Robert Lewandowski scored twice that night and will draw level with the 2021/22 Champions League’s leading scorer, Sebastian Haller of Ajax, if he scores his 10th of the European campaign tonight.
