Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: 5 key battles to watch out for | UEFA Champions League 2019-20

#3 Frenkie de Jong vs Leon Goretzka

De Jong and Goretzka are two of the most promising young midfielders

Barcelona and Bayern Munich are teams that love dominating possession and the battle of supremacy between Frenkie de Jong and Leon Goretzka will be one of the defining themes of this fixture.

Leon Goretzka has been one of Bayern Munich's best players since the Bundesliga restart and has shown tremendous improvement since the start of the season. The German star is one of the most complete midfielders in the world and his incredible physicality and intelligence allow him to dominate the middle of the pitch.

Leon Goretzka believes Bayern Munich can only stop Lionel Messi as a team! pic.twitter.com/uOidKC5Wah

— Stadium Astro (@stadiumastro) August 12, 2020

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong may not have hit the spectacular heights he managed at Ajax just as yet but is still one of the club's most promising prospects. The Dutch midfielder had an excellent game against Napoli and is equipped with the ideal set of skills required to counter a midfielder of Leon Goretzka's calibre.

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#2 Gerard Pique vs Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski is in exceptional form

Robert Lewandowski is the best striker in the world at the moment. The Bayern Munich hitman has not put a single foot wrong this season and is currently the top-scorer in the Champions League with 13 goals. The Polish star has scored an incredible 54 goals this season and will be Bayern Munich's chief threat against Barcelona.

Barcelona's defence will have to be on guard against the prolific striker and Gerard Pique will have to be his best self to stand a chance against Robert Lewandowski. The Barcelona veteran has put in a few brilliant performances this season and will need to pull a rabbit out of the hat to keep Robert Lewandowski quiet.

Two goals and two assists. Lewandowski is back in the UCL 🤖 pic.twitter.com/2rhVz5mCnC

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 8, 2020

Lewandowski is one of the most lethal strikers on the planet and Bayern Munich relies heavily on its talisman to score on a regular basis. Barcelona will have won half the battle if it keeps the Polish striker out of the game and Gerard Pique will have a massive responsibility on his hands.

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#1 Lionel Messi vs Jerome Boateng

Lionel Messi has a history with Jerome Boateng

With Lionel Messi on the pitch, anything can happen. The Barcelona captain is the best player in the world and was at his ruthless best in the first half against Napoli. The Italians had no answer to Lionel Messi's mesmerising dribbling skills and Bayern Munich will not relish the prospect of facing the Barcelona superstar.

Lionel Messi pulled off a legendary performance against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou in the 2014/15 season. The Barcelona forward scored an excellent goal to beat Manuel Neuer and the open the scoring in the 75th minute.

Cuantas veces veremos el quiebre de cadera de Messi a Boateng en los próximos días? pic.twitter.com/XpMit8pzRh

— Andres Agulla (@aagulla_espn) August 9, 2020

What followed was an iconic goal that will be spoken about for generations to come. Lionel Messi's agility left Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng sprawling on the floor and Neuer was helpless yet again as the Barcelona great chipped the ball over him to score one of the most stunning goals in the recent history of the Champions League.

Check out Lionel Messi's Net Worth here.

Bayern Munich needs Jerome Boateng to hold his own against Lionel Messi on Friday. The Barcelona captain is in excellent form at the moment and will be looking to replicate his memorable feats against the Bavarian side. Bayern Munich's defence has been slightly inconsistent this season and cannot afford a single slip-up against the best player in the world.

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