Familiar foes Barcelona and Bayern Munich will renew hostilities when they meet on Matchday 3 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season. Continue reading to get all the key information about the most highly anticipated fixture of the week.
UEFA Champions League: Barcelona vs Bayern Munich – Date, Time, and Where to Watch in US
Barcelona will welcome Bayern Munich to Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Catalonia for their 2024-25 UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 clash. The game will kick off at 9:00 PM CEST / 3:00 PM EST / 12:00 PM PT on Wednesday, October 23.
Fans in the United States can watch the fascinating encounter between two European giants live on Paramount+, Fubo, DirecTV Stream, UniMas, TUDN, and ViX.
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Preview
Team Form
Barcelona has been firing on all cylinders under former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick. The Blaugrana have been pressing higher, maintaining their shape a lot better than last season, and finding the back of the net with ease. Since the start of the 2024-25 La Liga season, Barca has won nine matches and lost just once. With 27 points on the board, they sit at the top of the La Liga rankings, three points clear of second-placed Real Madrid. They have scored 33 goals in the league and conceded 10.
Barcelona endured a difficult start to their UEFA Champions League campaign, losing 2-1 away at AS Monaco. They, however, bounced back emphatically on Matchday 2, bagging a thumping 5-0 win over Young Boys.
Bayern Munich has also been in fine form in the Bundesliga. Vincent Kompany’s men are still unbeaten in the German top flight, winning five matches and drawing two. With 17 points to their name, the Bavarians sit at the summit, although only due to their superior goal difference to RB Leipzig (17 to 9).
Like Barcelona, Bayern has won one game and lost the other in the UEFA Champions League. The Germans opened their season with a historic 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb but fell to a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Matchday 2.
Team News
For Barcelona, Marc-Andre ter Stegen (ACL) is out for the season whereas Marc Bernal (knee), Ferran Torres (hamstring), Ronald Araujo (thigh), and Andreas Christensen (Achilles) are on the treatment table.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, will be without Aleksandar Pavlovic (collarbone), Sacha Boey (meniscus), Hiroki Ito (metatarsal), and Josip Stanisic (knee). Jamal Musiala (hip) returned to full training on October 21 but may not be 100% fit for Wednesday’s game.
Head-to-Head
Barcelona and Bayern Munich have faced each other 13 times in competitive fixtures. The Germans have thoroughly dominated the Spaniards, claiming eight wins, drawing once, and losing only on two occasions. Bayern Munich have beaten Barcelona in their last five meetings in the UEFA Champions League, with their biggest victory — an 8-2 routing — coming in the quarter-finals of the 2019-20 season.
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Prediction
Barcelona have not been able to go toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich in the last five years, with the Bundesliga giants comfortably brushing them aside on every occasion. We believe the La Liga leaders could finally disrupt the trend this week and hold the visitors to a 2-2 draw in Catalonia.
