Big Match Feature: Bayern v Barca

Barcelona are on the brink of their eighth European Cup final having eventually worn down Bayern Munich in the first leg of their semifinal. The match will be broadcast live and will also available via live streaming.

Bayern held out until the 77th minute at the Camp Nou, but two quick Lionel Messi goals finally broke their resistance before the Argentinian set up Neymar for an added-time third.

Barcelona are now looking for their first win in Munich, where Bayern have won all five home games en route to the semifinals.

The prize for the winners is a place in the final in the Olympiastadion, Berlin on Saturday 6 June.

Previous Meetings

Bayern overwhelmed Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their 2012/13 semi-final encounter. Thomas Müller scored twice and Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben one apiece for Jupp Heynckes's eventual champions, who won the tie 7-0 on aggregate.

The lineups for that first leg on 23 April 2013 were:

Bayern: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Van Buyten, Alaba, Martínez, Schweinsteiger, Robben, Müller (Pizarro 83), Ribéry (Shaqiri 89), Gomez (Luiz Gustavo 71).

Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Bartra, Piqué, Alba, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro (Villa 83), Messi, Sánchez.

Bayern won the clubs' only other semi-final meeting 4-3 on aggregate on their way to lifting the 1995/96 Uefa Cup. Otto Rehhagel's side drew 2-2 in Germany before prevailing 2-1 away to a Barcelona outfit that included Guardiola and goalkeeper Carles Busquets, father of Sergio.

Guardiola was coach of Barcelona when they earned their only previous two-legged victory over Bayern in the 2008/09 Champions League quarter-finals. Messi again scored twice as they won the first leg 4-0 at the Camp Nou before a 1-1 draw back in Munich where Franck Ribéry netted for Bayern.

Luis Enrique was in the Barcelona team beaten 1-0 at Bayern in the 1998/99 group stage. Bayern then came from behind to prevail 2-1 at the Camp Nou where they returned for that season's final loss to Manchester United.

Match Background

Bayern

Five-time winners Bayern are attempting to reach their 11th final.

They suffered a 5-0 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid at this stage last season but have won five of their seven European Cup semifinals against Spanish teams.

Their overall record against Spanish opponents in two-legged contests in Uefa competition isW9 L7.

Bayern have a 100 per cent record in Munich in this season's Champions League, and have scored 13 goals in their last two home games – beating Shakhtar Donetsk 7-0 in the round of 16 and FC Porto 6-1 in the quarterfinals.

Bayern's 4-0 home defeat by Madrid in last term's semi-final was only their second loss at home to Spanish opponents – the first coming against Deportivo La Coruña in 2002. Their overall home record against teams from Spain W15 D5 L2.

Bayern have recovered from an away first-leg defeat to win the tie on 10 occasions, most recently against Porto in the quarter-finals; they have suffered 11 defeats, including eight in the last 11 contests. The Porto tie was the first time they had retrieved a deficit of two goals or more in Uefa competition; they had lost the previous nine ties, although they did win five of those second legs.

Their sole 3-0 first-leg away defeat came against Valencia in the 1996/97 Uefa Cup first round; they won the second leg 1-0 but lost on aggregate.

This is Bayern's fourth semi-final in the past five campaigns. Their overall European Cup semi-final record is 10 victories and six defeats:

• 0-5 v Real Madrid, 2013/14 (0-1 a, 0-4 h)
• 7-0 v Barcelona, 2012/13 (4-0 h, 3-0 a)
• 3-3 v Real Madrid 3-3, won 3-1 on penalties, 2011/12 (2-1 h, 1-2 a)
• 4-0 v Olympique Lyonnais, 2009/10 (1-0 h, 3-0 a)
• 3-1 v Real Madrid, 2000/01 (1-0 a, 2-1 h)
• 2-3 v Real Madrid, 1999/2000 (0-2 a, 2-1 h)
• 4-3 v Dynamo Kyiv, 1998/99 (3-3 a, 1-0 h)
• 2-5 v AFC Ajax, 1994/95 (0-0 h, 2-5 a)
• 3-4 v FK Crvena zvezda, 1990/91 (1-2 h, 2-2 a)
• 2-2 v AC Milan 2-2, lost on away goals, 1989/90 (0-1 a, 2-1 h)
• 4-2 v Real Madrid, 1986/87 (4-1 h, 0-1 a)
• 7-4 v PFC CSKA Sofia, 1981/82 (3-4 a, 4-0 h)
• 1-1 v Liverpool, 1-1, lost on away goals, 1980/81 (0-0 a, 1-1 h)
• 3-1 v Real Madrid, 1975/76 (1-1 a, 2-0 h)
• 2-0 v AS Saint-Étienne, 1974/75 (0-0 a, 2-0 h)
• 4-1 v Újpest, 1973/74 (1-1 a, 3-0 h)

Bayern beat Club Atlético de Madrid in the 1973/74 European Cup final and Valencia on penalties in the 2000/01 final.

Bayern's shoot-out record in UEFA competition is W5 L1:

• 5-4 v Chelsea, 2013 Uefa Super Cup
• 3-4 v Chelsea, 2011/12 Champions League final
• 3-1 v Real Madrid, 2011/12 Champions League semifinal
• 5-4 v Valencia, 2000/01 Champions League final
• 9-8 v PAOK, 1983/84 Uefa Cup second round
• 4-3 v Åtvidabergs FF, 1973/74 European Cup first round

Barcelona

Four-time winners Barcelona are seeking their eighth final appearance.

Barcelona have won four consecutive away games since a 3-2 loss at Paris Saint-Germain in September – the most recent of these victories was a 3-1 quarter-final success on their return trip to Parc des Princes to face Paris in the quarterfinals. With victory in Munich they would become the first Barcelona side to post five straight away wins in a single European season.

The Blaugrana have an overall away record of W9 D10 L6 against Bundesliga sides. Prior to their 2013 defeat in Munich they were unbeaten in eight trips to Germany.

Messi scored when Barcelona last triumphed in Germany, 3-1 at Bayern 04 Leverkusen in the 2011/12 round of 16, and he went on to notch five more goals – a Champions League first – when they won the return leg 7-1.

Barcelona have won 37 of the 39 Uefa competition ties in which they won the first leg at home, most recently against FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2010/11 quarter-finals (5-1 home, 1-0 away). The biggest first-leg lead Barcelona have let slip came in the 1983/84 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final, when a 2-0 home defeat of Manchester United FC preceded a 3-0 away reverse.

Barcelona have won 13 of their 18 previous two-legged ties with German teams, including semi-final triumphs over Hamburger SV in the 1960/61 European Champion Clubs' Cup and 1. FC Köln in the 1968/69 European Cup Winners' Cup.

Barcelona are in their seventh Champions League semi-final in the last eight seasons.

They have won six of their previous 14 semi-finals in the European Cup:

• 0-7 v FC Bayern Munich, 2012/13 (0-4 a, 0-3 h)
• 2-3 v Chelsea, 2011/12 (0-1 a, 2-2 h)
• 3-1 v Real Madrid, 2010/11 (2-0 a, 1-1 h)
• 2-3 v FC Internazionale Milano, 2009/10 (1-3 a, 1-0 h)
• 1-1 v Chelsea, won on away goals, 2008/09 (0-0 h, 1-1 a)
• 0-1 v Manchester United, 2007/08 (0-0 h, 0-1 a)
• 1-0 v AC Milan, 2005/06 (1-0 a, 0-0 h)
• 1-3 v Real Madrid, 2001/02 (0-2 h, 1-1 a)
• 3-5 v Valencia, 1999/2000 (1-4 a, 2-1 h)
• 3-0 v FC Porto, 1993/94 (3-0 h)
• 3-3 v IFK Göteborg, won 5-4 on penalties, 1985/86 (0-3 a, 3-0 h)
• 2-3 v Leeds United, 1974/75 (1-2 a, 1-1 h)
• 1-0 v Hamburger SV, 1960/61 (1-0 h, 1-2 a, 1-0 replay)
• 2-6 v Real Madrid, 1959/60 (1-3 a, 1-3 h)

* Barcelona advanced to the 1991/92 final as group winners.

Barcelona's shoot-out record in Uefa competition is W5 L1:

• 5-4 v KKS Lech Poznan, 1988/89 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
• 0-2 v FC Steaua Bucuresti, 1985/86 European Cup final
• 5-4 v IFK Göteborg, 1985/86 European Cup semi-final
• 4-1 v RSC Anderlecht, 1978/79 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
• 3-1 v Ipswich Town, 1977/78 UEFA Cup third round
• 5-4 v AZ Alkmaar, 1977/78 UEFA Cup second round

Coach and Player links

In four golden years between 2008 and 2012, Guardiola amassed 14 trophies as Barcelona coach, including the Champions League in 2009 and 2011. He added the Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cups in those same years and on the domestic stage claimed three successive Liga titles (2009–11), two Spanish Cups (2009, 2012) and three Spanish Super Cups (2009–11).

As a Barça player, Guardiola landed six league titles and was part of the team that lifted the club's first European Cup in 1992. He made 263 appearances between 1991 and 2000, also featuring in their 1997 Uefa Cup Winners' Cup final success – alongside Luis Enrique – and the 1992 Uefa Super Cup victory.

Luis Enrique scored for Barcelona in their 2-0 home win over Borussia Dortmund en route to a 3-1 aggregate success in the 1997/98 Uefa Super Cup.

Thiago Alcántara, whose brother Rafinha plays for the Catalan side, scored seven goals in 68 Liga games for Barcelona between 2009 and 2013 having come through the club's youth ranks. Pepe Reina is another La Masia product, making 30 Liga outings before leaving Barcelona in 2002.

Robben was a Real Madrid player from 2007–09, picking up one Liga title and scoring against Barcelona in a 4-1 Liga win on 7 May 2008. He struck twice in the Netherlands' 5-1 thrashing of Spain at the 2014 Fifa World Cup. Piqué, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and substitute Pedro Rodríguez all figured for Spain, whose goal came from Xabi Alonso.

Mario Götze got Germany's winner in the 2014 World Cup final against the Argentina of Messi and Javier Mascherano.

Marc-André ter Stegen played against Bayern seven times for former club VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach – and kept one clean sheet in three visits to face them in Munich. His record overall was W2 D1 L4 with 11 goals conceded; he kept only two clean sheets.

Ivan Rakitic played with Bayern's Manuel Neuer and Rafinha at Schalke 04 from 2007–10. He found the net in a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Bayern in September 2007.

Alonso played 20 times against Barcelona with Real Madrid, winning five and losing nine. At Liverpool he was in the side, alongside Reina, that prevailed 2-1 at the Camp Nou in the 2006/07 Champions League round of 16.

With Athletic Club, Javi Martínez faced Barcelona 15 times but was never on the winning team, enduring Copa del Rey final defeats in 2009 and 2012.

Match Facts

Bayern

Bayern were confirmed as Bundesliga champions with four games to spare on 26 April, their third consecutive German title. However, they have not picked up a Bundesliga point since, and lost 1-0 at home against Augsburg on Saturday.

Medhi Benatia, Xabi Alonso, Rafinha and Manuel Neuer all started on the bench against Augsburg; the latter two came on as substitutes, Neuer making his 200th Bayern appearance after Pepe Reina was dismissed.

Bayern have not scored in 361 minutes in all competitions – their longest barren run in 17 years – and have not won in four competitive games.

Bayern were denied a fourth successive German Cup final appearance on 28 April, losing the semi-final 2-0 on penalties to Borussia Dortmund.

Sinan Kurt, Rico Strieder and Lukas Görtler have all made their senior debuts since Bayern clinched the league title.

Franck Ribéry (11 March, ankle), David Alaba (31 March, knee), Tom Starke (5 April, ankle) and Holger Badstuber (thigh, 21 April) are sidelined. Sebastian Rode has missed Bayern's last three games with a muscle injury.

Robben will miss the rest of the season with a torn calf suffered against Dortmund on 28 April. That had been his first game after five weeks out with an abdominal muscle problem.

Robert Lewandowski wore a mask in the first leg in Barcelona after suffering concussion and breaking his nose and jaw against Dortmund.

Barcelona

If Xavi features he will become the first player to make 150 Champions League appearances. Real Madrid CF's Iker Casillas also goes into the second legs on 149.

Messi made his 100th appearance in Uefa competition during the first leg; he has 78 goals. Barcelona have won 38 of their last 42 games in all competitions, and 17 of their past 18 following a 2-0 success against Real Sociedad de Fútbol on Saturday. They have won their last seven games without conceding, for the first time in their history.

Neymar scored the opener; he has now scored in his last six games for Barcelona. His latest goal was his 50th for the club, a total he has reached in just 88 games.

Pedro Rodríguez scored Barcelona's second late on with his effort widely reported as being Barcelona's first successful bicycle kick since Ronaldinho's strike against Villarreal CF on 25 November 2006.

Long-term absentee Thomas Vermaelen was an unused substitute against La Real. Jérémy Mathieu missed the Bayern and Real games with an Achilles injury but is now available again.

The Catalan giants have not lost by three goals since the 3-0 semi-final loss to Bayern at the Camp Nou in 2013. They have not done so away since the first leg of that tie in Munich (0-4).

The Liga leaders have scored five or more goals in 13 games this season.

Messi has scored 40 Liga goals for the third season in the past four campaigns.

Between them, Messi, Neymar and Suárez have scored a club record 112 goals this term.