Champions League
2013-05-01 - FC Barcelona vs FC Bayern Munchen
A Sports Betting Pick by Cruiser
Football : Simgapore S League
Venue: Hougang Stadium
Wednesday 1st May2013 – Kickoff time 20:45
Match Preview :
Barcelona goes into this match with a moutain to climb as they need to overcome a huge first leg defeat if they are to prevent an All German final after Borussia Dortmund, despite losing to Real Madrid 2-0, still qualified for the final as they won 4-3 on aggregate.
Bayern Munich dominated the first leg and even with Messi in the side made Barcelona looked like amateurs and they will now come to Spain to protect their 4 goals lead. And despite Barcelona manging to control the possession, they were unable to convert it into goals. Bayern managed to convert their chances through the direct balls to their forwards on the break and exploit Barcelona’s weakness at the back.
Bayern really came to life in the second half where they were simply unstoppable. After 5 minutes of the second half thy scored their second goal through Mario Gomez. Despite being two goals up, Barcelona never really recovered and it looked like Bayern were the more likely team to score again, and true enough as it came from Arjen Robben in the 73rd minute and then scored their final and fourth goal as Thomas Muller got the fourth and his second goal of the night.
With that huge defeat it seems that the balance of power has now shifted from Spain to Germany as the new dominant country in Europe, and it was confirmed last night when Borussia Dortmund kept their nerves to ensure they did not lose more then 3 goals and reach the final at Wembley.
Barcelona will not be finished just yet, but it is just really hard to see them coming back from 4 goals down in this match. They could come back again next year, but for this year it will almost for sure be an All German Final now.
Coming into this match tonight, both sides rested their key players ahead of this clash. Bayern managed a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim while Barcelona conceded a late goal and had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Athletic Bilbao and had to postpone their title celebrations for another week.
One thing is for certain, is that Barcelona knows they need the goals.. as many as five of them. And they will come charging at Bayern Munich like there is no tomorrow and their lives depended on it, as well like a cup final. Bayern will be content to sit and hit on the break again as they know Barcelona could leave gaps at the back.
Barcelona can certainly win this match, but can they overturn the deficit from the first leg, if I am going to be totally honest here, I will say it's not going to happen at all. But taking Barcelona and give the 3/4 ball on the night on the Asian Handicap market looks good on the night.
Team News :
Barcelona Team News :
The home side is likely to start with Eric Abidal as centre back after he came through another 45 minutes without any problems. Messi played for just 30 minutes off the bench but was closed to full fitness and even scored a stunnig goal.
Bayern Munich Team News :
Bayern will once again miss the services of Toni Kroos but will have Mario Mandzukic back from suspension and he will be in the starting lineup.
Prediction:
Go for Barcelona and give the 3/4 ball.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Barcelona 2-0 Bayern Munich
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Take Barcelona and give the 3/4 ball here.
