BAYERN MUNICH are one of the favourites to win this Champions League this season but face a treacherous path to the semi-finals in Lisbon as they take on Lionel Messi and Barcelona.
While Barca are as big as 9/1 with BetVictor to lift the trophy, and the Germans just 3/1 with 888Sport, it's dangerous to write off a team led by the most gifted player on the planet.
Messi stepped up in his side's hour of need yet again last weekend, scoring his 31st of the season and turning in a virtuoso performance to help the Catalans defeat Napoli to reach the last eight.
But you suspect the little magician will need to have a few tricks up his sleeve to get the better of this relentless Bayern Munich side, who booked their place in quarter-finals with a 7-1 aggregate demolition of Chelsea (below).
In Robert Lewandowski, the German champions also boast a player posting even better numbers than Messi, with a double against the Blues taking his tally to an incredible 57 for club and country this season.
Hansi Flick's side are unbeaten in their last 28 games, winning 27 of them, and have saved some of their best performances for Europe this season.
Barcelona's form is patchy, winning just nine of their last 15 matches, so they will need to rise to the occasion again to keep their hopes of silverware alive.
How the bookies view it
Bayern Munich are favourites but some firms have them at evens, which is a decent price given their incredible run of form. Barcelona's best price is 28/11 with SportNation while the draw is 3/1 at William Hill.
Team news
Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies is a doubt after missing training with a thigh injury but is expected to be ready to play. Stopper Jerome Boateng picked up a knee injury against Chelsea and could be replaced by fit-again Niklas Sule if he doesn't make it.
Winger Kingsley Coman is their other fitness doubt as he bids to recover in time from a muscle strain while full-back Benjamin Pavard remains out.
Messi took a whack against Napoli as he won a penalty for Barca but recovered to play the rest of the game and should be fully fit for this one. The La Liga side are also boosted by the return of Sergio Busquets from a ban but Samuel Umtiti is still out while Ousmane Dembele is short of fitness after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Players to watch
It's hard to look past Lewandowski for a Bayern goal but the Pole is too short at a best 41/50 for anytime scorer. The odds on him netting two or more are better, at 7/2 with William Hill, while Skybet offer a tempting 7/1 on Lewandowski scoring a header.
Luis Suarez delivered when I tipped him to net against Napoli and the Barca striker is 43/20 with 888Sport to score again here. But I'm going to switch to Messi (below) at 7/5 with BetVictor, value you rarely get from the Nou Camp talisman in the anytime scorer market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Goals have been guaranteed when Bayern Munich have been in Champions League action this season. They've smashed seven past Spurs and six against Red Star in a group stage where they scored a total of 24 goals.
Flick's side added seven more across two legs against Chelsea so they look overpriced to score over 2.5 goals here at 9/4 with Bet365.
William Hill are offering 4/1 on each team winning over one corner in each half and that could be worth a punt. Barca have only won three corners across their last two games but will have a go at Bayern and it's worth a flutter at such a good price.
This UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich will be played on Aug 14, 2020 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Bayern Munich prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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