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#3 Ronald Koeman is still looking for his strongest Barcelona XI
During his tenure at Barcelona, Ronald Koeman has arguably not been able to nail down a consistent starting XI. The Dutchman has constantly chopped and changed his squad as he looks to find the perfect players for his preferred system.
Last season, Koeman implemented a back-three in the second half of the campaign. But this season, the Dutchman has played a 4-3-3 system in Barcelona's opening three fixtures. His selection of the back four, in particular, has been inconsistent, as he hasn't yet settled on a stable centre-back partnership.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, have had the same core group of players in their starting XI for the past few years. They have a way more settled squad than Barcelona, in general.
#2 Barcelona are missing key players due to injury
Barcelona would be without a few players who might have featured against Bayern Munich if they were fit. Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati would have started the game, but the duo has been ruled out due to injury.
Summer signing Sergio Aguero has had joy against Bayern Munich in the past, scoring a hat-trick against them for Manchester City. However,, the Argentinian superstar is also unavailable for the game.
Elsewhere, Martin Braithwaite has been a favourite under Koeman. But he will not take the field against Bayern Munich after picking up an injury at the end of last month.
These are significant absentees for Barcelona, something Bayern Munich would look to capitalise on.
#1 Barcelona lack a superstar
In the past, whenever Barcelona needed a goal, more often than not, they could rely on Lionel Messi to get them out of trouble. However, the Blaugrana does not have the Argentine to call upon this season.
Barcelona lost both Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann during this summer's transfer window. The two superstars have the ability to single-handedly impact games, but they are no more with the Blaugrana.
Summer signing Memphis Depay has shown that he could become the superstar Barcelona need. But the Dutchman has not yet faced opposition of the level of Bayern Munich.
With Sergio Aguero, usually a man for the big occasion, not available for the Bayern Munich game, the Blaugrana lack a player who can produce a goal out of nothing.
