Three talking points before Barcelona vs Bayern Munich | UEFA Champions League

The big game is finally here and Barcelona couldn't ask for a better time to enter the much-hyped clash.

Barcelona and Bayern Munich have met countless times in the UEFA Champions League over the years. Every year the Catalans show a slightly improved performance, but ultimately fail and have to admit defeat.

The two teams will face each other again this year, tomorrow evening at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Both teams were in top form and started the game with momentum.

The Catalans scored five goals against Sevilla at the weekend, while Bayern scored four goals against Stuttgart in their league game. The Germans were given 24 hours of extra rest before the clash, while Hansi Flick's men boasted about the home advantage.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Bayern Munich.

The first major European test

Barcelona's season so far has been almost as flawless as it can be. Two defeats don't look good on the results list, but apart from the two understandable slip-ups, the performances were spectacular.

Under Hansi Flick, the Catalans looked confident in defense, hot in attack and stable in midfield, with high pressing characterizing their performances so far.

Having settled in well and with the momentum on their side, they play their first game against a European giant tomorrow night and it will be interesting to see how they fare against elite opposition.

Bayern Munich is not without its faults, but has a huge psychological advantage over FC Bayern Munich Blaugranaespecially in recent years.

Bayern have won all of their last six games against Barcelona, ​​with the Catalans' last win over the Germans coming in their MSN era. Furthermore, in the last six meetings against Barcelona, ​​Bayern have scored 22 goals, while the hosts have scored four goals.

A win tomorrow would therefore unleash the team's wings and serve as serious evidence of their form this season. They are fully capable of knocking out Vincent Kompany's side this season, but it will all come down to the psychological aspect.

The high defensive line

Barcelona have a very high defensive line under Hansi Flick, with the central defenders playing near the halfway line and the full-backs acting as false wingers.

While the gamble paid off significantly by improving the team's presence in the final third, it did not come about without giving the opposition opportunities to counter-attack, and teams with pace often found paradise on the counter-attack.

Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi have actually been sensational so far, playing the perfect offside trap and giving the opponent no chance to play long balls. However, it will be a completely new game against Bayern Munich.

The Germans have one of the best attacking trios in Europe. Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise were in great form and the wingers were capable of launching fierce counter-attacks when given half a chance.

Meanwhile, Jamal Musiala is a major threat between the lines and causes chaos right in front of the opposition penalty areas.

The main focus tomorrow will therefore be on the entire defensive unit, as it will be crucial to keep the attack at bay.

Marc Casado will likely be tasked with controlling Musiala, while Cubarsi and Martinez will have to play out of their skin to keep up with Kane on the counterattack. Jules Kounde has to be careful moving forward given Gnabry's pace.

Who will play as that? media point?

Hansi Flick's lineup for tomorrow's clash is almost set in stone as he quickly identified his best XI in the current squad.

Inaki Pena will likely continue in goal and could prove to be a weak link on the field. While Wojciech Szczesny would be a great option, it is unlikely the coach will hand him a debut in such a high-pressure clash.

In addition, the defense and the forward group with Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal have permanent places in the team and will continue their attack.

However, the question concerns the midfield, especially that media point Role. Ideally, Dani Olmo would be the natural choice in this position, but the fact that he came off the bench against Sevilla suggests he is still not at 100%.

Therefore, it is likely that Flick will stick with the double pivot between Casado and Pedri and Fermin Lopez will be considered as number 10. An alternative would be to use Frenkie de Jong alongside Casado and deploy Pedri behind the striker.

With Olmo and Pablo Torre as options coming off the bench, Flick has plenty of options in the department.