Barcelona v Bayern Munich Betting Tips: Will Bayern be too strong for Messi & co?
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Odds and preview for Champions League quarter-final
There should be plenty of drama tonight as two of Europe’s superclubs face off for a place in the Champions League semi-finals.
Bayern Munich come into this one in imperious form. They’ve won 26 out of their last 27 matches and dispatched Chelsea with ease in the last 16.
Barcelona may have set a new record of 13 consecutive appearances in the quarter-finals, but this year’s model is some way off the standard set by its predecessors. They rely on Lionel Messi more than ever. But can even he stop this Bayern side?
Our traders have Bayern as the clear favourites here. The Bundesliga champions are Evens to win in 90 minutes, or odds-on to qualify at 4/7.
As for Barcelona, they’re 23/10 to come out on top in normal time, while 11/8 says they qualify. There’s 14/5 about the draw.
While Bayern are favourites, can they keep Barcelona out for the whole game? Bayern and Both Teams to Score is a 2/1 shot.
Robert Lewandowski already has 13 goals in this year’s competition, averaging one every 47 minutes. He’s 13/5 to get the first goal or 7/1 to add to his tally at any point.
Lionel Messi is almost certainly Barca’s best hope here. He’s 4/1 to score first or 6/5 anytime.
It’s hard to see a chink in Bayern’s armour. They’re solid at the back, the midfield runs the game and Robert Lewandowski is having the best season of his career up front. Add in the technical quality throughout the side and the winning mentality forged over eight straight league titles, and Barcelona face a daunting task.
History doesn’t favour the La Liga giants either. Bayern have won five of the eight Champions League clashes between the two clubs – no team has a better record in this competition against Barca.
Quique Setien can call upon Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal again here, but Thiago Alcantara is likely to be the key figure in midfield – a player schooled at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy.
Thiago is Bayern’s metronome, prompting and probing, bringing the likes of Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry into play. Other than Vidal, there isn’t much energy in the Blaugrana midfield – they may find it hard to stop the Spain international from dictating proceedings.
Saying that, the unique format of this year’s competition could work in Barcelona’s favour. Over two legs, you’d expect Bayern’s current superiority to tell. But over just one game, a single moment of magic could be enough to seal victory. And no one delivers jaw-dropping displays of skill as consistently as Messi.
He should line up alongside Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann in attack. As individuals, they’re all up there among the best in world football. But Griezmann’s arrival has skewed the balance slightly. As a result, everything now seems to go through the Argentine. Can Bayern keep him quiet to seal their progress?
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
