Barcelona vs. Bayern Múnich: prediction, live stream, kick off time, TV and how to watch online matchday 1 of Champions League 2021/2022

Barcelona will face Bayern Munich in the group stage of the Champions League, after both teams were drawn in the same group, Group E, as determined by the draw held in Istanbul. Barcelona will play the most important club tournament in the world without its top player for the last 16 years, Lionel Messi.

This year's draw was held in Istanbul, Turkey, and defined the group that will make up Barcelona's initial stage of the European Cup. It should be noted that this year there will be no 'away goal', which will prevent a team from losing even if they draw on aggregate. The draw brought Barcelona and Bayern face to face, with the memory of the 8-2 defeat that the German side inflicted on them in the 2019-20 season in a single match for the quarterfinals. That duel, moreover, ended Quique Setién's time on the blue and white bench.

This time the story is different, as the clash will be for points and not for a direct passage to another phase. However, in the meeting between the Catalans and the Bavarians, the biggest difference is the absence of Lionel Messi, who left for PSG this season. On the other hand, Benfica and the always difficult Dynamo Kiev complete Group E . The first round of the Champions League group stage will be played between September 14 and 15.

When does the Champions League start?

This year will mark the 67th edition of the UEFA Champions League, one like no other. The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16 and the third-placed teams from each group will qualify for the knockout round of the UEFA Europa League, where they will face the group runners-up for a place in the round of 16. The 2021-22 Champions League group stage begins on September 14/15 and will end on December 7/8.

Barcelona's historic defeat against Bayern Munich

Barcelona fell on August 14, 2020 when they faced Bayern Munich at night in the quarterfinals of an atypical Champions League, with the final knockout rounds to one game and on neutral ground, who were going to live one of their worst nights as Barça fans.

The team then coached by Quique Setién, who arrived with his staff at the final eight in Lisbon taking selfies on the pitch to remember the occasion, which Bayern was going to put no less than eight goals past them. The team arrived practically on vacation and without having spent a few days of preparation and bubble in Portugal as Bayern and other teams did. Setién had given the squad a vacation and the team arrived with a certain disconnection. 

The 1-4 at halftime already made Barça's passage more than a miracle, and the photo of a dejected Messi that emerged later confirmed that the team was not ready to try anything, but a goal by Suarez in the 57th minute, making it 2-4 with more than half an hour to go, awakened the hopes of the most optimistic Culés. The game was not going their way, but the chance was there. Until Kimmich in the 63rd minute and Lewandowski in the 82nd minute put the azulgrana on the back foot. As if the 2-6 wasn't enough, Setién's team was doubly cruel, as Bayern not only scored two more goals to make it 2-8, but their scorer was Philippe Coutinho, who was then on loan at the German club. What happened next is now part of history.