Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski will face each other on Friday when Barcelona square up against German champions, Bayern Munich, in a mouthwatering Champions League quarter-final showdown in Lisbon, Portugal.
The duo won the golden boot in Spain and Germany with a total of 55 league goals between them during the 2019/20 league campaign.
Lewandowski and Messi also have scored 13 goals and 3 goals respectively.
Former Bayern and Germany defender Lothar Matthaus insinuated in-form Lewandowski has now jumped ahead of Messi in the global player standings, having fired a stunning 53 goals in 44 games this term.
But Barca boss Quique Setien abolished that notion, insisting the Argentine forward Messi remains as deadly as ever.
“Lewandowski is a great player but I think he is not at the level of Leo, I think that is clear,” said Setien.
“It’s true he is in a fantastic moment, it’s 13 goals in the Champions League and he’s well assisted by a lot of team-mates around him.
“But Leo’s in a great moment too as we saw against Napoli. It’s good these players are out there on the pitch and we can enjoy them.
“Leo Messi can help us win this game, of course, but I always believe in the strength of the team. You have to help Messi and give him the ball.
“It’s true he can make goals for himself but without the strength of the team, Leo would be less, just like any other player you can highlight.”
You may also like: RB Leipzig stuns Atletico Madrid to set up Champions League semi with PSG
German giant, Bayern Munich, have their sights set on their second-ever treble after crushing their domestic rivals. They won all eight of their Champions League fixtures this season, and after their demolition of Chelsea on Saturday, they now set their sights on Barcelona as they look to add a six Champions League medal.
This is the first Champions League meeting between Barcelona and Bayern Munic)h since 2014/15 when Barcelona knocked Bayern out in the semi-final. However, Barcelona have lost more Champions League games against Bayern than any other club, losing five of their eight matches against them (W2 D1).
Lewy’s return of a goal every 47 minutes in the 2019/20 edition of the UEFA Champions League means he has the best strike ratio of any player in history for a single season of the European Cup/Champions League (min. 500mins) and Barcelona would need every help they can get to cut him off.
The Spanish side, however, have the previously-suspended Sergio Busquets back for the tie, and he could be vital in cutting off the supply line to the Bayern star, who will no doubt have center-backs Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet facing restless nights on the eve of the contest.
Related: PSG stage a stunning comeback against Atalanta to grab CL semi-final ticket
Stats and facts heading into the match (Backed by Opta)
- Barcelona and Bayern Munich have both reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the 18th time (in 24 and 23 appearances respectively), more than any other team.
- Barcelona are in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the 13th consecutive year – that’s every season since 2007/08, a record in the history of the competition.
- Robert Lewandowski has been directly involved in 17 goals in the UEFA Champions League this season (13 goals, 4 assists), six more than any other player. In four appearances under Hans-Dieter Flick, the Pole has scored eight goals and assisted four, averaging a goal or assist every 29 minutes.
- Luis Suárez’s last 16 UEFA Champions League goals for Barcelona have all been scored at Camp Nou – the last time he scored a goal not at Camp Nou was in September 2015 at the Stadio Olimpico against Roma; since then, he has played 1,896 minutes and had 67 shots without scoring at 19 different grounds.
10 thoughts on “Barcelona vs Bayern Munich preview: Messi and Lewandowski set up an epic showdown in Lisbon”