Despite some gory defeats for Barcelona at the Allianz Arena in recent years, coach Xavi Hernandez insists his team are not entering a “house of horror” when they face Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Barca lost 3-0 in Munich in the Champions League group stage last season and have failed to win in six visits to their German counterparts, drawing twice and losing four times for an aggregate score of 14-4.
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On top of that, the 8-2 defeat in the quarterfinal in Lisbon in 2020 remains omnipresent heading into this week’s fixture, with both teams tied on three points at the top of Group C following the opening games.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a house of horror, it’s Bayern Munich,” Xavi smiled when asked about Barca’s poor record in Munich at a news confernece on Monday.
“I’ve experienced both sides of the coin, beating them and losing to them. I know [recent results have not been favourable], but football is cyclical.
“It’s true we have never won here, which shows the difficulty of this week’s game. But we are in good form and we are excited for Tuesday.”
A lot has changed at Barcelona since they last lost in Munich nine months ago, a result which saw Xavi’s side eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage for the first time in 20 years.
