Bayern Munich take on Barcelona in pacesetters showdown

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys sets the stage for a mouth-watering UEFA Champions League encounter between Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Both teams have established themselves as early pacesetters in their domestic championships under new managers.

Ex-Bayern boss Hansi Flick has steered Barcelona to the top of La Liga, while Vincent Kompany’s unbeaten domestic start (W5, D2) puts the Bavarians in the lead in the Bundesliga.

With the help of free-firing Robert Lewandowski, Los Blaugranas have reigned supreme in Spain’s top flight as the Poland captain boasts 12 goals from ten league appearances.

Lewandowski’s successor at the Allianz Stadium has been no less impressive.

Per talkSPORT, Harry Kane’s ‘German hat-trick’ in a 4-0 demolition of Stuttgart on Saturday made him the first Bundesliga star to achieve that feat after the 36-year-old veteran.

Kane netted three times in succession beyond half-time to lead the Bavarians back to winning ways after an underwhelming three-game winning streak.

Scoring Machine

A disheartening 1-0 Champions League loss at Aston Villa, sandwiched by two scoring league draws against Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt, hampered Bayern’s spirits before the international break.

However, Kane’s scintillating performance, which saw him achieve something no one had in almost a decade, has restored confidence around Kompany’s camp ahead of this blockbuster trip.

Kompany enjoyed a record-break touchline debut in the Champions League as Bayern became the first team in the competition’s storied history to score nine in one match, beating Dinamo Zagreb 9-2.

It was one of the six occasions to have seen the record-time Bundesliga champions score 3+ goals in the Belgian tactician’s nine competitive games in charge.

Incredible Head-to-Head Record

New Barcelona manager Flick was in the dugout when Bayern tore the Catalan side to pieces in a memorable 2019/20 quarter-final one-off tie, running out 8-2 victors in Portugal.

That remarkable triumph forms part of the Bavarians’ dominant overall record against the Iberian powerhouse (W11, D2, L2), including six consecutive wins since May 2015.

It’s also worth noting that the Germans have won all four Champions League encounters against Barca since that night at Estadio da Luz by 2+ goals ‘to nil.’