Heineken - FC Barcelona v Bayern Munich
Arguably the world's top two club teams will come head to head this evening in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash. To say this is a mouth-watering prospect seriously underplays the contest, the intensity of which threatens to shake the earth and tear the skies apart, when two of the most elite teams in world football come crashing together! When FC Barcelona welcome Bayern Munich to the Camp Nou on Wednesday, all eyes will, of course, be on the return of former Catalan boss Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard won 30 trophies as a player and manager with the club and surely knows the ins and outs of the Spanish giants. Many Barcelona fans let out a deep sigh of dread when they saw their team had been drawn against Bayern Munich, but both team's fortunes may have slightly changed since. Initially Bayern perhaps had the mental advantage, with Guardiola returning to Spain and his team enjoying a much better head-to-head record, but Bayern's injury crisis and recent form might give the Catalans the advantage. Lionel Messi and company enter the game on the back of 26 wins in their last 28 games, while Bayern have lost five and drawn two during the same period. The clash could also be seen as Europe's best attack versus Europe's best defence. While Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez have scored 108 goals between them to become Barcelona's most prolific attack in history, Bayern have conceded just 23 goals in Bundesliga and Champions League combined. We critically analysed both side's strengths and weaknesses to assess which European giant could dominate in the first leg of this semi-final encounter. Head-to-Head Record Barcelona and Bayern first met in the semi-finals of the 1995/96 Europa League, when the Germans stopped Johan Cruyff's 'dream team', which had current Bayern boss Guardiola in the ranks. The first leg in Munich ended 2-2, but the Germans celebrated a famous 2-1 victory in the return leg at the Camp Nou and ultimately clinched the title. The next time the two giants met was in the group stages of the 1998/99 Champions League, with Bayern winning both ties. The German side went all the way to the final, while the Catalans didn't make it past the group stages. Barcelona celebrated their only success in a more recent contest – when the Catalans eliminated Bayern in the Champions League quarter-final during Guardiola's first season as coach. The tie, which took place back in 2008/09, was basically over after the first leg when Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, who scored two goals, together netted an unanswered four goals. Guardiola went on to guide Barcelona to a final victory in a season in which the team claimed an unprecedented sextuple. Bayern, however, took revenge in the teams' most recent meeting when Jupp Heynckes' side thrashed Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in 2012/13. Bayern went on to win their most recent European Cup and claim the club's first treble. Overall, Bayern have a much better head-to-head record and have only lost one out of eight games against the Catalan giants. ADVANTAGE: BAYERN Key Battles German Goalkeepers face-off With all eyes fixed on attack, two German goalkeepers may hold the key as to who makes the final in Berlin. Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen has grown into his role as the club's Champions League goalkeeper and has proven why he was originally bought to fill the gap left by Victor Valdes. Despite his bit-part role, ter Stegen has produced some crucial saves for Enrique's side on their way to the semi-final. Manuel Neuer, meanwhile, is arguably the best keeper currently in the game and has won his team many points already. He has somewhat reinvented the keeper position and often appears as a sweeper-keeper behind a high-line defence. In addition, his well-known penalty record could become instrumental if the tie goes all the way to spot kicks – something Bayern probably would want to avoid after they recently failed to score any of their four penalties in the German Cup semi-final against Borussia Dortmund. ADVANTAGE: BAYERN Water-tight defensive systems Both sides boast incredible defensive records this season. Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu have been rotated in the centre for Barcelona, while particularly Pique and Mathieu also surprised with goals on the other end. Jordi Alba and Dani Alves are likely to feature out wide, with particularly the latter experiencing a great run of form lately. Bayern, meanwhile, will rely on the services of Jerome Boateng and Mehdi Benatia in the centre, with Juan Bernat and Philipp Lahm likely to feature out wide. Guardiola could also tinker with his tactics and feature a three-man defence to have a numerical advantage in midfield. Both Barcelona and Bayern's defences have hardly been tested this season, but it feels like either side could have one blunder in their legs. VERDICT: DRAW Both midfield engines running at full steam Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and either Xavi or Ivan Rakitic are likely to start for Barcelona, whereas Bastian Schweinsteiger, if fully fit, Xabi Alonso and Thiago are likely to feature for Bayern. Lahm could also shift into a midfield role, while one of Bayern's midfielders could perhaps even be sacrificed to track Messi throughout the game. While it looks as if Iniesta and Xavi are getting back to their best form, Bayern have already found an answer to their passing game of three years ago. Particularly Schweinsteiger's, but also Alonso's, physical strength could be decisive in the contest. In light of Bayern's ongoing injury crisis, the return of former Barcelona starlet, Thiago Alcantara, has been welcome news for Guardiola. The Spaniard immediately demonstrated his importance for Bayern with a sublime performance against Porto, and his energy could edge this mini-battle in favour of the Germans. ADVANTAGE: BAYERN Rampant Barca attack versus a depleted Bayern All eyes, of course, will be on the Catalan's attacking trio who are in breath-taking form. Messi has already scored 51 goals this season, Neymar sits on 33 goals, while Suarez has netted 24 times. Particularly Messi will be keen to come up against Guardiola after the Spaniard kick-started his career in 2008. Bayern, meanwhile, have some injury worries going into the clash. Arjen Robben has been ruled out until the end of the season, while Franck Ribery seems also unlikely to feature, which would mean the German champions will be missing two of their best players. In the absence of the duo, more pressure will be on the likes of Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski. The latter, also, is a serious injury doubt after breaking his upper jaw and nose a week ago, but could feature with a special mask. Muller, meanwhile, has continued his fine form from the 2014 World Cup and recently became Germany's all-time record scorer in the European Cup. He currently sits on 20 goals in all competitions this season – three less than Lewandowski – but usually turns up when his side needs him the most. Bayern's somewhat forgotten starlet, Mario Götze, didn't have the best of season, but proved during the World Cup final that he could make the difference with one moment of brilliance. ADVANTAGE: FC BARCELONA Tried-and-tested Pep versus underrated Enrique Pep Guardiola is still celebrated as a hero in Barcelona after having won 14 trophies – including two Champions League titles – in four seasons at the helm of the Spanish giants. He guided the Catalans to an unprecedented sextuple in 2009 and arguably built the strongest team in club football history. His possession-based style, better known as 'Tiki-taka', has already found its way into the football history books, but opponents have since found an answer to this style of play. Luis Enrique has followed in the footsteps of his former teammate, but implemented his own style at Camp Nou. Despite not having won any trophies yet, the Spaniard has bettered Guardiola's start with the Catalan giants, winning 43 out of his first 50 games. Enrique has brilliantly mastered continuous alleged clashes with his big name players, most notably Messi and Neymar, and is still in line to win the club's first treble since Guardiola's departure. The 44-year-old often surprises through a more direct approach than his famous predecessor, Guardiola, and is probably one of the most underrated coaches in the business right now. He could, therefore, really make a statement by eliminating Guardiola and his side. However, Guardiola knows every little weakness within the Barcelona squad and already has many, many trophies to his name. ADVANTAGE: BAYERN The Verdict Looking at the result of our mini-analysis, Bayern hold a comfortable 5-2 advantage over Barcelona. Based on previous results, the strengths of individual players and Pep's inside knowledge of his opponents, one would think Bayern have enough to eliminate the Catalans. However, the German's recent injury crisis has cast doubts over whether Bayern will truly be at their best. Key players like Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thiago have also just returned from long injury spells and it remains to be seen whether they can reach their absolute best. It is probably one of the most even ties in recent Champions League history, and one where there is absolutely no margin for error. Despite our analysis swinging in favour of Bayern, Barcelona's attacking trio could very well make the difference on the day. Either way, we are in for a great spectacle which is sure to be one worthy of a final!
