Barcelona vs Bayern Champions League quarter-final preview: where to watch, team news

Barcelona and Bayern meet at 21:00 CET on Friday 14 August in the third of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in Lisbon.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.

How did the teams get this far?

Barcelona were not wholly in their groove despite topping Group F with 14 points, nor when coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at Napoli in their round of 16 opener, but gave a glimpse of their formidable best in a first-half blitz that effectively ended the Italian side's ambitions in the return.

No team impressed more in the group stage than Bayern, who won every game and plundered 24 goals in the process. They were equally ruthless in a 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in their round of 16 opener, and even more comprehensive with a 4-1 home win in the return.

Possible line-ups

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Vidal; Messi, Suárez, Roberto
Out: Umtiti (knee)

Bayern: Neuer; Kimmich, Boateng, Alaba, Davies; Thiago, Goretzka; Coman, Müller, Gnabry; Lewandowski
Out: Pavard (ankle)
Doubtful: Zirkzee (foot)

Reporters' views

Graham Hunter, Barcelona reporter: Prior to the Napoli tie much was made of Barça’s 35-match unbeaten home run in this competition – less of the fact that the last defeat came at the hands of a rampant Bayern, the Blaugrana’s quarter-final rivals here. Barça are up against a side with a playing style not dissimilar to the Juve, Paris, Roma and Liverpool sides which did them damage away from home in recent seasons: packed with skill, but urgent, relentless, dynamic and athletic. It’s going to be a huge test: one where Lionel Messi's excellence must be matched by faultless defence.

Jordan Maciel, Bayern reporter: Bayern showed why they are among the tournament favourites as they brushed Chelsea aside last weekend, but they are not getting carried away with treble talk just yet. Form certainly favours the German champions, and in Robert Lewandowski they have arguably the world’s best player in their ranks, but they face an opponent desperate to make amends for a disappointing domestic season. Plus, they have Messi. Note: the winner of all three previous ties between these two has gone on to win the tournament.

Latest results

Barcelona
Form: WWLWW (all competitions, most recent first)
Where they finished: 2nd in Liga

Bayern
Form: WWWWW
Where they finished: 1st in Bundesliga, German Cup winners

What the coaches say

Quique Setién, Barcelona coach: "Bayern have many things that concern us because they are a very complete side – they’re able to press you, they have lot of options in attack, they defend well. But we have the ability to overcome presses and have the ball and they know if we get through their press, we can really hurt them. I don’t see one team dominating. It’s whoever takes their chances that’ll get through the tie."

Hans-Dieter Flick, Bayern coach: "You cannot compare Lewandowski and Messi. Lewandowski is a world-class centre forward. He guarantees goals and sets up goals. Messi has been by far the best player in the world in recent years. He is an exceptional player. I don't know if there will be another player like him in the future. We've thought about how to stop Messi, but I'm not going to tell you here. The most important thing is that we have to play against him as a team. We need to play smart and try to put pressure on him."

Rule changes

From the quarter-finals, all matches will be played as one-off ties at two stadiums in Lisbon, Portugal; this game is being held at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

Teams will be able to make five substitutions but will only be allowed to make these changes at three points in the game. These three occasions do not include changes at half-time, between the end of normal playing time and extra time, and at half-time during extra time. One additional substitution will be allowed during extra time.

There will also be more players to choose from: a total of 23 players will be allowed on the match sheet instead of 18, something usually only permitted for the final.