Barcelona take a 3-0 lead to Munich for the second leg of their Uefa Champions League semi final with Bayern on Tuesday night and it would need a remarkable turnaround to deny Barca a place in the final.
Bayern Munich
Current Bundesliga One Position 1st (as of 11th May)
Last Six League Results W4 D0 L2
Home Record P16 W13 D1 L2 GS 44 GC 7
2014/15 Champions League: P 11 W7 D1 L3 GS 30 GC 11
Bayern kept Barcelona at bay for the bulk of the first leg but they conceded three times from the 77th minute onwards and that late surge from Barcelona will take an awful lot of clawing back. Bayern did win home legs of earlier rounds by wide margins, against Porto (6-1) and Shakhtar (7-0) but their opponents here look in a different class to those two sides. Bayern have managed to score just one goal in their last four competitive games and although two Bundesliga defeats in that sequence are fairly irrelevant given they are already assured of the German title, their strikers will need to rediscover their form if they are to make Barcelona sweat.
Bayern have become a regular fixture in the semi finals and they went on to win this trophy in 2013, 2001 and three times during the 1970’s. Bayern have also finished as runners up on five occasions, most recently in 2012 and 2010.
Barcelona
Current La Liga Position 1st (as of 11th May)
Last Six League Results W5 D1 L0
Away Record P18 W13 D3 L2 GS 45 GC 10
2014/15 Champions League: P11 W10 D0 L1 GS 26 GC 7
It’s been a really good week for Barcelona as they won their La Liga fixture on Saturday to go four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table and they are closing in on the Spanish title. The first leg win in this tie keeps them on course for this trophy which they last lifted in 2011 but they will still be aware of Bayern’s home record in Europe and there will be no room for complacency. Barca have already won home and away at PSG and Manchester City in the earlier knockout rounds and if they can grab just one away goal in this game, Bayern would need to score five to go through.
Champions League Overall Head to Head Record
Played 5
Barcelona Wins 2
Draws 1
Bayern Munich Wins 2
Previous Champions League Head to Heads Results
06/05/15 UCL Barca 3-0 Bayern
01/05/13 UCL Barca 0-3 Bayern
23/04/13 UCL Bayern 4-0 Barca
14/04/09 UCL Bayern 1-1 Barca
08/04/09 UCL Barca 4-0 Bayern
As things stand, it’s all very different to the 2013 semi final meeting between the sides when Bayern were 4-0 up from the first leg and went on to win 7-0 on aggregate.
2nd Leg Match Result Betting
Bayern 2.50
Draw 3.50
Bayern 2.62
*Odds are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change.
Summary:
Bayern have to come out all guns blazing and that means they run the risk of leaving gaps at the back for the likes of Messi, Neymar and Suarez. Barca don’t have to win this second leg to book their place in the final but they are in irresistible form right now and could well finish the job with another victory.
Pick: Barcelona to win the 2nd leg @2.62