Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich face a formidable challenge in their upcoming Champions League clash against Barcelona. However, after a strong start to the season, they have every reason to be confident they have what it takes to overcome the Spanish giants…

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1) History is on their side 

While this is certainly a huge fixture, and one that Bayern will have to at their very best for, history is on their side when it comes to Champions League clashes with Barcelona. This will be the eighth meeting between the two sides in the last ten seasons in this competition, and in their previous seven meetings, Bayern have won six, scoring 22 and conceding four. Regardless of the changes to the squad over the years, Bayern are confident in their ability to beat Barca both home and away.

The most notable of these victories is certainly the unbelievable 8-2 win in the 2019/20 season as Bayern steamrolled their way to their sixth Champions League title. Since then, Bayern have not conceded against their Spanish counterparts in four meetings, a trend that Kompany’s men hope will continue.

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2) Clinical going forward

Bayern have been an attacking force at the start of this season, leading the league for goals scored (24), shots against post and bar (6) and lying in second for shots taken (139). These stats paint an accurate picture of just how relentless they have been going forward, with Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry creating chances for one another seemingly at will. Kane is now breathing down the neck of Omar Marmoush in the scoring charts with eight goals in seven games in addition to four assists, while Olise, Musiala and Gnabry have a further nine goals between them.

These numbers also highlight the effect that Kompany’s aggressive pressing style is having, with Bayern suffocating their opponents in their own half in order to win the ball closer to goal and create more chances. The dominance over their opponents so far this season is reflected in the fact that they also lead the average possession stat with 65 percent, well ahead of Borussia Dortmund in second on 59 percent.

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3) Olise feeling at home

One of the cogs in Bayern’s well-oiled attacking machine is new signing Olise. The young Frenchman has slotted right into their attack, starting six of the opening seven Bundesliga games and scoring four goals. The winger’s trickery, combination play and agility have made him a nightmare to handle for Bundesliga defenders and he looks to already be key to Kompany’s plans, having also started both of his side’s Champions League games so far. Olise got off the mark with two goals against Dinamo Zagreb in his first appearance in the tournament, before starting in Bayern’s defeat away to Aston Villa. Both he and Bayern will look to bounce back from their first competitive loss of the season with another dazzling attacking performance against Barcelona.

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4) Unbeaten in the Bundesliga

Bayern are going into the clash on top of the Bundesliga with five wins and two draws from their first seven games. They demonstrated their attacking prowess by scoring three or more goals in five of those seven, including a dominant 6-1 win over Holstein Kiel and a 5-0 victory against Werder Bremen. Even when falling behind, such as in games against Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, and Eintracht Frankfurt, they have shown resilience to come back against some of the league’s toughest opponents. Bayern's unbeaten start to the season highlights their strength, both away from home and under pressure when not playing as well as they’d like. This confidence and composure give them every reason to believe they have what it takes to beat Barcelona.

Against Frankfurt, Bayern once again showed they're capable of coming from behind to get a result. - IMAGO/M.Deines/M.i.S.

5) Frontline flexibility

As much as the attacking quartet of Kane, Olise, Musiala and Gnabry have impressed this season, they have only started together three times between the Bundesliga and Champions League, showcasing the attacking flexibility that Bayern have. The legendary Thomas Müller, Kingsley Coman and young Mathys Tel have all proven they are capable of slotting in seamlessly to the Bayern frontline and maintaining their side’s attacking intensity. Their ability to adapt to difficult situations and have such attacking depth means they will be prepared to change things if necessary against Barcelona, who themselves have been frightening going forward this season with eight wins from their first nine in the league.

And an extra word on Müller: He's got eight goals and two assists in nine Champions League appearances against Barcelona. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has ever been directly involved in more Champions League goals against a single club (12 vs. Juventus), while no other player who's never played in Spain has netted more goals against Barcelona.

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