Group E action in the Champions League will have a fierce finish as Benfica and Barcelona battle it out for the second qualifying spot in the group. Barca likely needs to beat Bayern Munich on the road to secure a second-place finish.
Bookmaker 10Bet has the odds at 4.50 for Barcelona to win in Munich for the first time ever. The odds are at 1.64 for a home win and at 4.45 for the draw.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: December 7th, 1:30 P.M. (EST)
The Blaugrana hold a two-point edge over Benfica ahead of the final round of fixtures, but the Portuguese side hosts bottom side Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday and will likely win the match. Benfica has the edge if the two teams finish level on points because they hold the tiebreaker with a better head-to-head record.
Barcelona last failed to advance from the group stage in 1998-99, so it would be a massive shock for the club if they drop out of contention.
New manager Xavi has been bullish about his chances on Wednesday, but Barcelona have beaten Bayern just twice in the previous 12 meetings and they have recorded two draws and three losses in five visits to Munich.
Bayern have failed to win just once in their last 11 Champions League games at home and only two visiting sides have won at the Allianz Arena since the start of 2020. It’s going to be an uphill battle for Xavi’s team and they need to be at their absolute best to have a chance of reaching their goal.
Xavi has started with two wins, a draw and a loss in his first four games in charge. He took his first loss over the weekend against Real Betis when Barca failed to score in a second consecutive home match. The team’s attacking record has been poor all season long and they will likely play with a defensive mentality on Wednesday although stopping Bayern is a very difficult task.
Robert Lewandowski boasts 27 goals in 21 appearances this season and he’s notched nine goals in five Champions League games. There have been only two Champions League games since the start of last season in which the Polish striker hasn’t netted a goal.
Bayern’s offense isn’t just about Lewandowski either. They have just set a new Bundesliga record for most goals in a calendar year and their attacking record in Europe has also been immense in 2021 with 28 goals in nine outings.
