Barcelona vs Bayern Munich lineups, live stream: Champions League prediction, TV channel, online viewing

Two teams with ambitions of finishing in the league's top eight, despite not having a particularly good start to the Champions League, meet when Barcelona host FC Bayern Munich. Everyone has already lost a game in this expanded UCL field and while there will be no problems finishing among the top 24 teams in this phase, avoiding further games is a goal for everyone.

But the similarities don't end there: both teams are led by new managers and boast the form of some of the best strikers in the world: Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski. Former Bayern Munich players Hansi Flick and Lewandowski will be familiar with the German giants, even though a lot has changed at Bayern in recent seasons.

It's a game that could really produce goals, as Lewandowski has scored 14 goals in 12 games for Barcelona in all competitions and Kane has 13 goals in 10 appearances for Bayern. Their support systems are also quite impressive, but both defenses will want to improve their performances.

Here are our storylines, how to watch the game and more:

How to watch and ratings

• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys – Barcelona, ​​Spain
• Live stream: Paramount+
• Opportunities: Barcelona +130; draw +300; Bayern Munich +165

League phase schedule

Barcelona: Crvena zvezda (a), Brest (h), Borussia Dortmund (a), Benfica (a), Atalanta (h)

Bayern Munich: Benfica (h), Paris Saint-Germain (h), Shakhtar Donetsk (a), Feyenoord (a), Slovan Bratislava (h)

Team news

Barcelona: Gavi is back in the squad after injury but it would be unfair to expect him to get back into the starting lineup. Alongside Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona's midfield will recover and the team will have more and more options at their disposal as the games progress. They have an upcoming weekend game against Real Madrid to keep an eye on, but this is the time of the season to focus on the game ahead.

Barcelona Predicted XI: Inaki Pena, Alex Balde, Ignigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, Jules Kounde, Pedri, Marc Casado, Raphinha, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski

Bayern Munich: Vincent Kompany's side have been weak of late, winning just one of their last four games. It was a strong performance against Stuttgart, but stopping Barcelona from scoring is easier said than done. Bayern have not yet shown that they can win on penalties. So when Barcelona scores the goal, the real test begins.

Bayern Munich predicted XI: Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Kim Min-Jae, Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Guerreiro, Joao Palhnha, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Müller, Michael Olise, Harry Kane

forecast

Defense will continue to be the downfall for these two teams as, despite their strong performances in attack, the points will be shared in a high-scoring duel. Choose: Barcelona 2, Bayern Munich 2