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Flick & Lewandowski team to turn Barcelona fortunes against former employers Bayern Munich

One of the most exciting fixtures in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League calendar pits Barcelona and Bayern Munich against each other at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Wednesday’s heavyweight clash comes at an opportune moment for Los Blaugranas.

Hansi Flick’s side flew out of the traps after the international break, demolishing Sevilla 5-1 on Sunday to retain a three-point lead on runners-up Real Madrid at La Liga’s summit.

Robert Lewandowski soaked up the limelight as the ‘man of the match’ with another first-half brace following an astonishing hat-trick against Deportivo Alaves before the two-week hiatus.

In doing so, the 36-year-old superstar has become the third-highest goalscorer in Europe’s top-five leagues with 366 goals, according to ESPN.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi boast a better scoring record than the Barcelona talisman, who enjoyed a significant part of his illustrious career at the Allianz Arena.

Powerful Duo

Lewandowski was among six goalscorers when Bayern, coached by Flick, humbled Barcelona 8-2 in the famous 2019/20 quarter-final one-off tie at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.

Flick and Lewandowski fight shoulder-to-shoulder again in one of the most devastating combos in European football.

To provide some perspective, the Poland captain has tallied 95 goals and 24 assists in 84 appearances under the former Bayern manager.

Indeed, the veteran goal-getter boasts 14 goals and two assists from 12 matches this season.

Ominous History

The abovementioned defeat forms part of Barca’s dreadful historic record against the record-time Bundesliga champions, featuring just two wins from 15 previous meetings (D2, L11).

Barcelona have since lost all four Champions League encounters against the Bavarians by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ extending their winless run against German opposition to seven games (D1, L6).

A seventh consecutive defeat at the hands of Bayern would match the Catalan side’s worst streak against any opponent, tying the seven-game losing run they experienced in El Clasicos from 1962 to 1965.

However, Flick’s men have been unplayable at home this season, winning all five outings via an aggregate score of 20-2 while netting 5+ goals on three occasions.

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