"It's difficult to mark him" - Barcelona manager Xavi explains how his team will deal with the threat of Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller

Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has revealed that his side will look to stop the offensive impact of Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller with their zonal marking system. The two teams will meet at the Allianz Arena in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (September 13).

Muller has enjoyed some fantastic meetings against the Catalans in the years gone by. The Raumdeuter, who turns 33 on Tuesday, was the primary catalyst in their 8-2 thrashing of the Blaugrana in 2020. He also scored in both Champions League group-stage matches between the two teams last season.

Overall, Muller has scored eight goals and laid out two assists for Bayern Munich in eight meetings against Barcelona. The German will undoubtedly need to be at his best again if the Bavarians are to defeat Xavi's side in their upcoming meeting.

The Catalans, meanwhile, will need to find a way to keep the attacking midfielder quiet. Xavi seems to have a way to do so in mind and recently said (as quoted by @iMiaSanMia on Twitter):

“He's a fantastic player, he's been making a difference for years. He has a great understanding of the game. He's a leader. It's difficult to mark him, but we don't do man marking but zonal marking. We'll be attentive to everyone.”

The Barcelona boss went on to add that Bayern Munich also have other players who can hurt them (as quoted by Bavarian Football Works):

“They have great young players with big potential that can make the difference. I would highlight their high pressure and how they can break the defensive line. They have been doing well for years.”

Xavi went on to praise his own side for their improvements in recent months. The Blaugrana are unbeaten in La Liga this season and thrashed Viktoria Plzen 5-1 at the Camp Nou in their Champions League opener. The Spaniard said:

“Many things have changed, especially the mentality. We go out there without complexes and try to have the ball. We have won in personality and mentality. But, we have to stay humble and remember that we had a bad time.”

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Barcelona will fancy their chances after Bayern Munich and Thomas Muller endure slow start to new season

Barcelona have never beaten Bayern Munich away from home in the Champions League. Their last two visits to the Allianz Arena have ended in 3-0 and 3-2 defeats.

However, they will fancy their chances against a Bayern team that has struggled for fluency in the ongoing season. Julian Nagelsmann's side have drawn their last three Bundesliga matches.

A key reason for their middling run of form has been Muller's own slow start to the campaign. The German international has scored just once and assisted only two goals in six league matches this term.

Both he and the rest of Bayern's squad will look to make a statement when they take on a Blaugrana team spearheaded by former striker Robert Lewandowski.