UEFA Champions League: How Bayern Munich Can Stop Barcelona

Bayern Munich are on to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League for 2012.

The German giants disposed of Marseille, and in doing so, booked their place in the final four—where they will play either Real Madrid or APOEL.

You probably won't hear much about it, because Barcelona also moved through to the semi-finals and we all know that Barcelona are going to win the Champions League, right?

Well, maybe not.

Maybe—just maybe—Bayern have what it takes to progress through to the final.

And maybe—just maybe—when they're there, they can do the incredible and take down the Spanish superpower.

Crazy? Perhaps, but not as far-fetched as it seems.

What's mentioned below is not a four-point plan to beat Barcelona—rather, four areas where Bayern must excel if they stand a chance of walking away with the trophy.

Which, if applied right, could very well turn a supposed loss into European glory.

1. Bayern Must Stop the Barcelona Attack

Firstly, to beat Barcelona, Bayern Munich have to stop their star-studded attack, which may sound idealistic and simplistic, yet is the most critical of all.

Barcelona have notched up an impressive 33 goals so far throughout the Champions League, and being able to stop their attack is arguably the biggest factor in being able to walk away with a win.

Bayern Munich not only have the pieces to make that happen, but the form  to show they can do exactly that.

Throughout the Champions League, Bayern are averaging just 8.6 shots against per game and they've only conceded two goals in their past eight matches.

In that time, the German giants haven't dropped a single point and have scored 20 goals of their own.

It may sound simple and lacking insight, but stopping the Barca attack is the most important department to address if they are to take down the Spanish superpower.

2. Bayern Must Force Interceptions and Break Up the Play

In order to slow down their attack, Bayern must not only stop the shots on goal—they must break up the play before it even gets to that point.

By forcing interceptions and incomplete passes, Bayern will reduce the impact and success of players like Lionel Messi and, in turn, frustrate the Barca attack.

The German side is averaging 20.1 interceptions throughout the Champions League—the highest out of any side remaining in the tournament—and if they can put up similar numbers against the flowing passing attack of Barcelona, they could well produce an upset for the ages.

They must also tackle well, a department in which they rank with an average of 23.8 tackles per match in the UEFA Champions League.

Stopping the Barcelona attack hingers on Bayern's ability to break up the play by forcing interceptions and making successful tackles.

3. Bayern Must Not Give Up Easy Chances on Goal

For all the ability of Barcelona's attack, it was two penalties that got them through against Real Madrid. Looking at their entire tournament, it has been simple chances that have got them through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Barcelona have only scored one goal from a set piece and one goal on a fast-break, meaning that all their other goals have to come from open play or penalties.

Firstly, penalties. After watching the Barcelona-Milan match, it is critical that you don't give away penalties to the Spanish giants because they will make you pay for it. Barca have found the back of the net five times from penalties this tournament—something that Bayern need to keep in mind.

Secondly, Bayern must address the middle corridor of the pitch. Barca have taken 65 percent of their shots from the middle of the pitch, with just 20 percent coming from the left and 15 percent from the right.

Thirdly, and most importantly, they cannot give time and space in the box to Barcelona because it's simply not going to go well for them.

Throughout the Champions League, they've taken over half their total shots from inside the 18-yard box—the highest out of any side left in the tournament. They also rank inside the top 10 in shots from inside the six-yard box for the tournament.

If Bayern are to stop their incredible attack, they cannot give up easy chances on goal—especially in their own box and in the middle of the pitch.

If they do this, Barcelona are simply too good and they will finish. However, as we saw against Milan the first time, they can be held scoreless if the defense plays smart and doesn't give up the ball cheaply.

4. Bayern Must Know That Barcelona Can Be Scored Against

For all the strength and skills of Barcelona's attack, simply put, they can be scored against.

Bayern Munich have the attacking power to score against the Spanish giant.

They average roughly the same number of shots as Barca do per game—averaging exactly the same number of shots on goal (7.6) throughout the Champions League.

If lowly-ranked Granada can put three past Barcelona at home, Bayern definitely have the skills to score against the Spanish giants.

Barcelona currently rank last in tackles per match and 27th in interceptions per game; their defense does not have the same power as several other sides in the Champions League as long as Bayern wins the battle of the midfield.

And with names like Franck Ribery, Ajern Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos holding the Bayern midfield, there's no reason to suggest that the Germans can't cause Barca a few defensive nightmares of their own.

Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller will both need to know that this Barca defense is able to be penetrated and it is not the strong and mighty front that their offense is.

If the Bayern Munich defense can keep their heads, shut down the middle of the field and turnover the ball, there's no reason why they cannot take down the Spanish giants and Champions League favorites on the greatest stage in the world.

I guess we'll have to wait and fight out.

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