© „Reuters“
Soccer fans are waiting for a festive evening. Today marks the start of the new UEFA Champions League season, in which, as usual, there will be no shortage of breathtaking matches. However, in our country, it will be more difficult to see top-level matches - fans will have to search for foreign portals where they will have to pay for prestigious tournament broadcasts. On Tuesday, viewers will be most interested in two matches: undoubtedly the central match between "Barcelona" and Munich's "Bayern" and the performance of "Man Utd" and their striker Cristiano Ronaldo in Switzerland. Coach Before the match in Catalonia, "Bayern" coach Julian Nagelsmann praised the opponents. According to the German, the absence of striker Lionel Messi had little influence on the opponent's strength. "They no longer have a unique footballer like the Argentine, but there are no shortage of players in the 'Barcos' ranks who can determine the outcome of the match. We are prepared for all scenarios. I do not agree with the opinion that the opponents have weakened. Regardless of whether we are favorites or not - it is already a matter of the press. Two world-class clubs will meet. On the one hand, everything will depend on the sporting form demonstrated that day, on the other hand, we must not forget about the motivation, which we certainly do not lack", - clarified the 39-year-old specialist. Mutual match history Germans have played against "Barcelona" in official matches 13 times and have won 8 victories. The Catalans only have three wins to their credit. The last clash between the teams in 2020 ended in a fiasco for "La Liga" representatives - the Champions League quarterfinal match was lost 2:8, thus "improving" the club's anti-record in the tournament. Oppressor and streak "Bayern" will seek to extend the streak of unbeaten matches away - since 2017, the Germans have achieved 14 victories in 18 matches in the UEFA Champions League. In addition, the "Bayern" club has won all 17 opening matches of the Champions League season since the 2003/2004 season. The Catalans will have to watch out for Munich's veteran Thomas Muller, who has scored 6 goals in 5 meetings between the two teams. Predicted starting line-ups: "Barcelona" (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Sergi Roberto; Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri; Philippe Coutinho, Memphis Depay, Luuk de Jong. "Bayern" (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Alphonso Davies, Lucas Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard; Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka; Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane; Robert Lewandowski. Time and referee The match will start at 22:00, and it will be officiated by Englishman Michael Oliver.
