⚽UEFA Champions League Discussion Thread -- 2023/24 | Prelim Qualifiers

[LTU_btc]

Can't wait to see Bayern - Barcelona game and Lewa playing against former team. Main question, will he score?  And considering recent form of Bayern, Barca have probably best chance to win in recent years.
I'm going with Porto and Inter ML parlay. I'm also thinking about backing Spurs and Marseille. In Bayer - Atletico game I'll risk with BTTS

[boltz]

Can't wait to see Bayern - Barcelona game and Lewa playing against former team. Main question, will he score?  And considering recent form of Bayern, Barca have probably best chance to win in recent years.
I'm going with Porto and Inter ML parlay. I'm also thinking about backing Spurs and Marseille. In Bayer - Atletico game I'll risk with BTTS

That is exactly that I was thinking about! What will Lewa do tonight ? He will seek "vengeance" on his old team ? or will Bayern know no mercy and try to beat them ? I would say 2nd scenario is most likely to happen as I still do see Bayern being stronger than Barca but after that 8-2 on Camp Nou , Barca should try and wash the result from that game and at least get a draw with Bayern.

[CryptocurencyKing]

I don't know who will win Sporting or Spurs, but I think it will be a three-point battle... Spurs look stronger, but Sporting have been excellent over the last three games... Bayer vs Barcelona I'll leave no comment, but I think both teams will score... Also Bayer vs Atletico Madrid should be interesting... Hopefully the Germans can beat them, although I don't think they have much chance... But bookmakers are giving them the same odds to win for some reason...

Both Sporting and Tottenham are defensively good. Conte understands the UCL and would want to avoid conceding more goals in Portugal. I feel there will be few goals, maybe 1-2 goals. I don’t know what to say about this Barcelona vs Bayern Munich match. Both teams are playing good even though Bayern have been inconsistent as of recent. But I think Barcelona have reinforced their squad during the transfer window, so it won’t be a result of Bayern Munich scoring many goals against them like they did in the previous seasons. Maybe a 2-1 home win for Bayern Munich or a 1-1 draw. I expect Atletico Madrid to beat Bayer Leverkusen.

[zuzie]

Bayern Munich - Barcelona is the most interesting match of this week. Things are not like in the old times between these teams anymore.

Sad to see lewy against bayern! But  we have to accept it! Their former best player is now their best opponent. Although they are neither afraid nor overconfident! Its going to be the most interesting game of group stage. If bayern gets defeat then that would be dream comes true for barca and big lesson for bayern. If barca gets defeat then that would be even worst for them. Dear football fans enjoy the battle of two elite clubs!

Julian Nagelsmann's men should have no trouble against Barcelona. Because Bayern Munich has a history of winning streaks in the last four meet with Barcelona, and that will be enough to give more confidence to Bayern Munich players.
But we know the current situation is different, where Barcelona have gone through several trials with several clubs after the changes made by their new coach Xavi Hernandez in the transfer market this season, and the results are quite convincing that Barcelona's strength deserves to meet Bayern Munich in week 2 UCL group stage.

[yudi09]

Bayern Munich vs Barcelona match will be different this season. Both are doing well in their respective leagues. What's interesting about this match in my opinion is the return of Lewandowski to the Alianz Arena as a Barcelona player.

Now the striker with a Polish passport has become a mainstay of the Catalan team since being recruited in the 2022 summer transfer window.
Sadio Mane has become the new idol of Bayern Munich, he is considered to have the same level as Lewamdowski.
Very interesting.

[darxiaomi]

Barcelona seems strong and a good team but, they havent played again a strong team in the short term, so we really dont know if they are really strong or not. This can be the first challenge for them against Bayer Munich, and it hink Bayern can win this match for 3-1 or something like that.

Lewandowsky can score against his former team.

[cygan]

after 375 games and 344 goals for bayern munich (2014-2022), the paths of Robert Lewandowski and bayern cross again on matchday #2 in the champions league more than eight years after their last face-off.
its already his 15th duel with the german record champion (7 wins/2 draws/5 defeats) - will he manage his 8th win today with his new club fc barcelona and will he also score against bayern for the 6th time?

[kro55]

after 375 games and 344 goals for bayern munich (2014-2022), the paths of Robert Lewandowski and bayern cross again on matchday #2 in the champions league more than eight years after their last face-off.
its already his 15th duel with the german record champion (7 wins/2 draws/5 defeats) - will he manage his 8th win today with his new club fc barcelona and will he also score against bayern for the 6th time?

It will be a very nostalgic game for Robert Lewandowski to play against his former team. After serving Bayern Munich for over 8 years and scoring 344 goals in 375 games he will face them in a Barcelona t-shirt. This is a really good transfer from Barcelona's point of view since they are in need of strikers in their squad.

On the other hand, I believe Bayern would have been better off keeping him for another two to three years in order to maximize the potential he has. My expectation is that this match will be a great one, and I am looking forward to seeing Lewandowski score against his former club .

[LittleBitFunny]

Barcelona seems strong and a good team but, they havent played again a strong team in the short term, so we really dont know if they are really strong or not. This can be the first challenge for them against Bayer Munich, and it hink Bayern can win this match for 3-1 or something like that.

Lewandowsky can score against his former team.

I would say if Lewandowski can score in this match then Barcelona will win today. There is no doubt that Bayern Munich is a renowned and powerful team. But I don't see any way to call the Barcelona team weak this season. Barcelona is a very strong team and they are consistently performing well. And Barcelona's defense is now stronger than Bayern Munich's.
Both teams will want to get points and move to the top of the points table. So it will not be surprising if both teams play defensively and try to draw the match. But we will expect to see many goals in this match

[Boristhecat]

I would say if Lewandowski can score in this match then Barcelona will win today. There is no doubt that Bayern Munich is a renowned and powerful team. But I don't see any way to call the Barcelona team weak this season. Barcelona is a very strong team and they are consistently performing well. And Barcelona's defense is now stronger than Bayern Munich's.
Both teams will want to get points and move to the top of the points table. So it will not be surprising if both teams play defensively and try to draw the match. But we will expect to see many goals in this match

Given the fact that the performance of both teams is great, and the defense is not very good (both teams regularly concede goals), I don’t think that Lewandowski’s one goal will solve anything. A lot will depend on who scores first. For example, if Bayern scores, then most likely everything will end with big defeat of Barcelona, if vice versa, then there is a chance that Barcelona, having played reliably in defense, will score a few more goals and then the game can end 3-2 in its favor.

[dwminer1]

Bayern Munich vs FC Barcelona will be definitely the most interesting of today's Champions League matches. Hardly anyone expected Robert Lewandowski to play at the Allianz Arena so soon. In my opinion, the favorite of today's match are the hosts. Barcelona has never won the away game against Bayern (2x draw and 4x defeat). The disposition of the club from Catalonia during the matches in the delegation in the Champions League is not impressive and Xavi's players will have to sweat a lot to turn this unfavorable series, during which they recorded only 12 victories in the last 27 away games. Another interesting statistic is also worth noting: Bayern is unbeaten from the last 24 matches in the CL group stage (23x win, 1x draw). I believe the Bayern series will be upheld today.

[cygan]

here's a nice overview of the last 5 duels between bayern and barcelona - unforgettable, of course, the 2-8 debacle of barcelona at home in the quarterfinals season 19/20
who will be the favorite today is hard to say... bayern plays at home but has drawn in each of the last 3 bundesliga matches

[Franctoshi]

I found it so difficult to predict today's game between Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona, Looks like a 50-50 kind of game and both teams to score because they both got good strikers, and too looking at the Both teams strength in this season champions league game. but with the kind of players that Barcelona have got right now, I do see them a bit ahead of Bayern Munich and to be the most favorable side to win this game tonight, but I'm not undermining the credibility of the German Bundisliga champions because they always come with a lot of suprises during their games in the Champions League competition.

[Dewi Aries]

So today Tottenham surprised us they lost 2-0 the sad thing is that both goals were scored in the last minute  
I don't know what  happen when the draw is in sight instantly the concentration of Tottenham players became chaotic in the last 1 minute
In another match Inter managed to win, not too surprised because their opponent is a weak team.

[RealMalatesta]

Barcelona seems strong and a good team but, they havent played again a strong team in the short term, so we really dont know if they are really strong or not. This can be the first challenge for them against Bayer Munich, and it hink Bayern can win this match for 3-1 or something like that.

Lewandowsky can score against his former team.

I would say that they are strong enough to beat Bayern but at the same time the situation is too close. Normally I would give the win to Bayern, because Barcelona has been bad and they are still not recovered yet because they may have a good roster but they need to show and proof they are ready again for a long time.

At the end of the day, we should be looking at the current situation of Barcelona as unknown, they may look good but they are not tested just like you said. Which is why I am expecting them to have a season where they won't really have any type of problems big time, but not have a great season where they win it all neither.

[Coyster]

Tbh i feel very sorry for Ajax tonight, i felt they played very well, they had a game plan and they executed it expertly, they deserve to come out of that game with a point, but i guess it is what it is, and that's football. Liverpool were the better team of course, but they found it extremely difficult to break down Ajax and create clear cut scoring chances, the header from Matip made the difference in the end, and boy did Liverpool need that goal, had they drawn this game, they surely would have been in a precarious situation in the group. The group is still very tight, but that win gives Liverpool something to build on.

[JoyMarsha]

Bayern Munich - Barcelona is the most interesting match of this week. Things are not like in the old times between these teams anymore.

It is an interesting match indeed, the best team had to win. Both teams were out for each other to play their best and win. Just that Luck was against Barcelona in the first half, they missed a whole lot of chances to score. If they turned that chances into goals, Bayern Munch would have been humiliated. I guess the second leg, would be something different for Barcelona because they will surely retaliate by winning with many goals

Barca has improved a whole lot compared with their previous performance before the signing of new players.

[Mr.right85]

Tbh i feel very sorry for Ajax tonight, i felt they played very well, they had a game plan and they executed it expertly, they deserve to come out of that game with a point, but i guess it is what it is, and that's football. Liverpool were the better team of course, but they found it extremely difficult to break down Ajax and create clear cut scoring chances, the header from Matip made the difference in the end, and boy did Liverpool need that goal, had they drawn this game, they surely would have been in a precarious situation in the group. The group is still very tight, but that win gives Liverpool something to build on.

There wasn't any way in which Ajax was going to beat Liverpool. Klopp already lost his first game to Napoli in a game that was rather humiliating for the man red and not getting all 3points in this game wasn't much of an option for Klopp.
Ajax didn't do any badly, it's a good thing for M. Salah to have opened the scoring for Liverpool of which, Ajax responded before J. Matip came by that lucky header to put Liverpool back in front but, it remains a close one and Klopp has recorded his first 3 points in the group stage.

[Luqman]

I would say that they are strong enough to beat Bayern but at the same time the situation is too close. Normally I would give the win to Bayern, because Barcelona has been bad and they are still not recovered yet because they may have a good roster but they need to show and proof they are ready again for a long time.

In fact, Barcelona isn't strong enough to beat Bayern. They are defeated with 2 goals, without scoring any goal (Bayern 2 - 0 Barcelona).
Barcelona may be stronger right now, but they still don't have the mentality to beat a big team like Bayern Munich. Especially, since Lewandowski is a Bayern former player, Bayern players know well how to stop Lewandowski from scoring. Look at the result today, Lewandowski can't score a single goal. Another factor is that Xavi looks not choose the right players for the midfield line. I'm surprised Xavi didn't put Frenkie de jong and Kessie as the starters. Barcelona has many rosters, but they don't know which ones are best to be the starters.

[zuzie]

In fact, Barcelona isn't strong enough to beat Bayern. They are defeated with 2 goals, without scoring any goal (Bayern 2 - 0 Barcelona).
Barcelona may be stronger right now, but they still don't have the mentality to beat a big team like Bayern Munich. Especially, since Lewandowski is a Bayern former player, Bayern players know well how to stop Lewandowski from scoring. Look at the result today, Lewandowski can't score a single goal. Another factor is that Xavi looks not choose the right players for the midfield line. I'm surprised Xavi didn't put Frenkie de jong and Kessie as the starters. Barcelona has many rosters, but they don't know which ones are best to be the starters.

In the end Frenkie de Jong came on in the 61st minute of the second half, followed by Kessie in the 80th replace Busquets. With time remaining, Barcelona is still not able to repay Bayern's advantage
I conclude Barcelona are strong enough but they are not confident enough to be on the same pitch as Bayern especially with the hope of winning, Bayern is not the same as some of the clubs that Barcelona have met before. So Xavi needs to give something more for his club, because their journey in the Champions League this season will certainly not be easy