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Preview: Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona

Preview: Bayern vs. Barca
© AP Photos
Sports Mole looks ahead to the first leg of the showpiece Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

Europe's two most dominant clubs meet in a Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday.

Bayern Munich welcome Barcelona to the Allianz Arena in the first semi, with another German-Spanish battle taking place between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid the following day.

Bayern are 20 points clear and have already sealed the Bundesliga title, while Barca hold a 13-point lead over Real in La Liga.

Both sides go into the match on the back of domestic wins, with Bayern moving their goal difference to +75 with a 6-1 thrashing of Hannover, while Barca saw off Levante thanks to Cesc Fabregas's goal.

Lionel Messi has been passed fit for the clash, overcoming a hamstring strain to play for the visitors, who are looking to extend an eight-match unbeaten sequence on German soil.

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes will have to decide whether to continue with in-form Mario Gomez up front. He has scored five goals in the last two games but is second-choice to Mario Mandzukic.

These two last met in the 2008-09 quarter-finals and it was Barca who triumphed 5-1 on aggregate after four goals in the first half of the first leg in Catalonia. Thierry Henry was one of the scorers in that match.

Recent form

Bayern: WWWWWW

Barca: WWDWDD

Possible starting lineups

Bayern: Neuer; Lahm, Van Buyten, Dante, Alaba; Martinez, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Muller, Ribery; Mandzukic

Barca: Valdes; Dani Alves, Pique, Adriano, Alba; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Villa

Sports Mole says: 1-1


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Friday, July 5
 
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Spain
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8pm
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Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
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Tuesday, July 9
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

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Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


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