European giants Bayern Munich and Barcelona will go head to head on matchday
four of the Champions League group stages on Wednesday. Bayern will host
Jonatan Giráldez’s side at the Allianz Arena.
The two teams faced each other in the reverse fixture at the Nou Camp less than two
weeks ago, where Barcelona eased to a 3-0 victory. The game was watched by a
record crowd of 46,967 for a Women’s Champions’ League group game.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona are placed in Group D alongside Benfica and
Rosengård. The Spanish side sit comfortably at the top of the table on nine points; a
win will more than likely secure them a place in the quarter finals.
Bayern are second and will want to prove themselves and get a result against the
2021 Champions League winners, although a defeat will still leave them in a positive
position to qualify.
Bayern Munich
Bayern are currently sitting in second place in the Frauen-Bundesliga, two points
behind Wolfsburg who have a game in hand. Alexander Straus’s side have won
seven games this season and have drawn one and lost one.
Since losing against Barcelona two weeks ago Bayern have won consecutive games
against SGS Essen and Hoffenheim.
Bayern travelled to Hoffenheim on Friday evening and came away with a 4-0 win.
Georgia Stanway was back in the squad after serving a one-match suspension and
Sydney Lohmann, a German international, made her 100 th competitive appearance
for the side.
Barcelona
Barcelona have made a faultless start to their season and are yet to lose a
competitive match, scoring 43 goals in the process. Their impressive form is
reflective in the league table as they sit in an unsurprising 1 st place in and are 8
points clear of rivals Real Madrid.
Barca come into the game following a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, with Lucy Bronze
scoring the winner in the 89 th minute. The game also saw María León and Aitana
Bonmatí make their 200 th appearance for the club.
Jonatan Giráldez is still without Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas who remains side-
lined for the rest of the season after sustaining an ACL injury on the eve of the Euros
earlier this year.
Ones to watch
Lionesses trio Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Kiera Walsh (Barcelona) and Georgia
Stanway (Bayern Munich) are all expected to start for their respective teams. All
three players moved on from Manchester City in the summer and have made a good
impression within their new teams.
Stanway has already made her mark for Bayern in the Champions League as she
salvaged three points for her side against Benfica. Bayern were trailing 2-1 until
Stanway scored in the 83 rd and 98 th minutes to secure the important three points.
Both Kiera Walsh and Lucy Bronze have been ever present in the Barcelona side
since joining. Bronze scored her first goal for Barcelona against Atletico Madrid with
a powerful header and scored her second days later against Real Sociedad.
Spanish international Clàudia Pina has been instrumental to Barca’s attacking
success this season scoring four goal six goal in all competitions including an
outstanding goal against Barcelona. The forward currently has the second most
assists (5) in Liga F this season.
The Barcelona defence must be wary of Lea Schüller who has scored 6 goals in the
Bundesliga this season. The German international has played for the club 42 times
since joining in 2020 and has scored 32 times. Schüller will be keen to keep up her
goal scoring form after scoring a brace in her last game against Hoffenheim.
How to watch
The match kick offs at 8pm (GMT) on Wednesday 7 th December and will be free for
viewers to watch on the DAZN Youtube channel.
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