Opinion: Bayern Munich should not hold back against FC Barcelona

The lessons you learn as a sports fan can sometimes be harsh, but if there is one thing I know, it is that Bayern Munich should not take its foot off the gas against FC Barcelona.

There are a copious amount of reasons for Bayern Munich to lean toward a pulled back approach, but giving Barca the chance to linger around and advance to the knockout round would be a mistake.

Sure, Bayern Munich has some heavy legs and the squad is certainly battling through some key injuries, but anything short of a victory in this match should be considered a failure and here’s why:

• This version of FC Barcelona is not like those of the past. Weaker, with a thinner roster, and lacking real star power, Barca could still evolve to be dangerous over the course of this season. Writing FC Barcelona’s ticket to the Europa League will alleviate a potential risk down the road.
• As one of the Super League teams they deserve to have it stuck to them. Sorry, not sorry.
• A club with some financial distress does not need to receive a Champions League monetary boost for advancing to the knockout round. This summer could see the Bavarians engaged in bidding wars for several players — heck, Bayern Munich has been linked to several Barca players. For bargaining’s sake, defeating Barca could help make the Catalans even more cash desperate, which might lower prices on some valuable assets Barca will be selling and could also push Barca to be outbid on any players the two clubs might have common interest in.

And sure, Benfica could still bottle it against Dynamo Kyiv and let Barca advance anyway, but that doesn’t mean Bayern Munich should sleepwalk through this match. The Bavarians should look to stomp on the Blaugranes and make sure they have done their part to help push aside the Catalans.

Letting FC Barcelona hang around is not something you want to live to regret.

By the way, we happen to have a podcast on all things Bayern Munich, where we did a special edition two-person preview of the Barcelona game. If you want to know more about them and the game in general, why not check it out?