FC Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Lineups, team news, will Kompany use Thomas Müller for Jamal Musiala, injury updates and more!

In the last five years, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona have faced each other no less than FIVE times, with the better FCB winning all five times. The aggregate score is 19-2, an incredibly lopsided record for a game between two top teams in the UEFA Champions League.

This year, Barca want to change that record, and their hopes rest on the shoulders of one man: Hansi Flick. Yes, the same coach who handed the Catalans one of their heaviest defeats ever in 2020 (at least while he was in charge of Bayern) is now trying to put a stop to his former employers (and perhaps prove that they should have hired him instead ).

For Bayern Munich and Vincent Kompany, this game is a testing ground, a chance to show that the team can actually beat top-class opponents. For Kompany personally, he has to show that the club bosses were right to hire him instead of using the option to bring Hansi Flick back.

Team news

Both teams have their fair share of injuries, but the headliners are all fit. On the Barcelona side, Lamine Yamal should be ready to start, while players like Dani Olmo and Gavi have returned to training and could be options from the bench. On the FC Bayern Munich side, Jamal Musiala took part in the final team training before the game, which makes him a potential candidate for the starting eleven. However, Hiroki Ito, Sacha Boey, Josip Stanišić and Aleksandar Pavlović will miss the game due to various injuries.

If you're looking for an in-depth analysis of what each coach's lineup will look like and how the two teams actually compare to each other, you should check out our podcast. It's available below or on Spotify (or ad-free if you check out our Patreon), and we go in-depth on a range of topics.

The most important questions before this game include:

• Will Vincent Kompany decide to use Thomas Müller for the newly fit Jamal Musiala? Should he?
• Can surprises be expected from Hansi Flick?
• Who is actually the better player at the moment – ​​Jamal Musiala or Lamine Yamal?
• The relative strengths and weaknesses of the two teams and where they can hurt each other.
• The difference between Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane and why certain traits suit their respective teams better.
• What it means if Vincent Kompany doesn't win the game.

If any of this interests you, check it out.

As far as FC Bayern Munich's lineup is concerned, we expect the following:

Other options (in order from most to least likely) include:

• Konrad Laimer replaces Raphaël Guerreiro at right-back.
• Kingsley Coman replaces Serge Gnabry on the wing.
• Thomas Müller in the center with Musiala on the bench (if not fit).
• Bayern Munich is quitting football to focus on Fortnite.
• Jamal Musiala on the wing with Thomas Müller in the center.