Barcelona are the in form team in Europe and with Messi, Neymar and Suarez firing on all cylinders. One could be forgiven for thinking their 3-0 advantage from the first leg will be enough for them to advance to the finals, but as we know football is unpredictable.
Here are five reasons why Bayern Munich can upset the odds and defeat Barcelona with at least four goal:
– They Have Defeated Porto And Shakhtar Donetsk
Porto and Shakhtar might not be Barcelona but Bayern defeated both team in previous knock out games by huge scorelines. In the round of 16 Bayern was held by Shakhtar in Ukrain 0-0 but in the return fixture in Germany, Bayern defeated the Ukrainian side 7-o which is the biggest win in this season’s champions league.
In the match against Porto, Bayern was defeated 3-1 in Portugal but the return fixture was a different story as Bayern in a masterful performance defeated the Portuguese side 6-1.
– Home Record
Facing Bayern in its home fortress of Allianz Arena will send shivers down the spine of any opponent. Bayern have won all five of their Champions League home games so far, The club has scored 19 goals and conceded only once. This is some record to behold.
Bayern also average 3.8 goals per game in European home matches this season. The Bavarians remain Champions League top scorers with a total number of 30 goals in 11 games despite its 3-0 defeat to Barcelona.
– They Are Managed By A Great Tactician
Bayern has one of the best managers in football; Pep Guardiola. The tactician is very good with setting his team up for matches. In the first leg, Bayern had more possession and Pep set his team to soak the pressure and try counters through the centres which worked for a while before a little man, Lionel Messi took matters into his hands.
During a recent press conference Pep said “We have to be patient and cannot do everything in the first 15-20 minutes. First we have to play football and see what happens. Maybe we can then score a goal and create an atmosphere in the stadium.” Those are the words of a confident man.
– Other Teams Have Done It
Other teams have defied the odds in a knock out game and even final to advance in the champions league. The most recent example of such was the 2005 Istanbul final which Liverpool emerged victorious despite after the 1st half 3-0.
Another recent result was the 2004 champions league quarter-final between Deportivo La Coruna and AC Milan. Milan led the first leg 4-1 but Deportivo shocked Milan to win 4-0 in the return leg.
Also, other teams have scored three goals against Barcelona; PSG, Real Madrid as well as the likes of Sevilla, Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao, who have also scored twice against Luis Enrique’s men.
– Success Against Spanish Teams
Ahead of tonight’s match, Bayern can take consolation that in 22 home games against Spanish opposition, they have won 15, drawn five and only lost two.
Bayern had fared well against Barcelona in previous matches. They have defeated barcelona five times in nine meetings, and before last week’s defeat they had only lost once to the Catalan side."
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