Barcelona and Bayern Munich were already defeated in the Champions League and another loss would put them at a disadvantage in the battle for the top eight places. In short this three points are very important. The Catalans are at the top of LaLiga table and have won nine of their first 10 games. The defeats in the league against Osasuna and in the Champions League against Monaco didn't come out of the blue. Barca has not played against Atletico or Real Madrid in the league up to this point. In the Champions League, the matches against Monaco and Young Boys were actually a rewarding opening programme. The match against Bayern is therefore the first real test for Hans Flick and his team. On the other hand, the 4-0 win on the last Bundesliga matchday against Stuttgart was a real demonstration of power by the Munich based team. While they had to let the Swabians take the lead in the table last season, this season they are once again the first contender for the championship. The 0-1 defeat against Aston Villa was rather unfortunate under new coach Vincent Kompany.