FC Barcelona vs. Bayer Leverkusen: 10 Things for Barca to Fear

Barcelona has a simple Champions tie on paper but, as always, they should be wary.

Bayer Leverkusen has individual talent that could surprise the squad, and there is always the possibility of luck.

Since 2008/09 this Barcelona team has remained basically the same. From that point through to the 2010/11 season, they have played 19 games including two German opponents.

Here are some things for Barcelona to fear in this Champions League Round of 16 tie with Bayer Leverkusen.

Away Record in Knockout Stages

This Barcelona teams overall away record in the Champions league between 2008/09 and 2010/11 hasn't been too bad. It's not formidable either.

In the 19 games they played during that time they have three losses, nine draws and seven wins. That is a lot of stalemates for a team of such high quality.

The away record in the knockout stages looks like this: two losses, five draws and two wins. To be fair, that is a lot better when you consider the impact of away goals.

Some of those losses came against Wilsa Krakow—one of the very first teams Barcelona played in the Guardiola era—and Rubin Kazan.

Away Record Against German Teams

Barcelona played Bayern Munich in the 2008/09 season and Stuttgart in the 2009/10 season. In both ties, they won emphatically at the Camp Nou 4-0 and tied in the German arenas 1-1. 

On both occasions they got the all-important away goal. So why should they fear anything this time around? It will have been about two years since the last game against Stuttgart and tactics—teams and players have changed since then.

Bayern Munich may be the best team out of the three, including Leverkusen, but Leverkusen has certainly learned enough from previous games to know what exactly to do.

It may or may not help, but Leverkusen definitely had time to learn from the failures of Barcelona's previous opponents.

German Stadium Atmosphere

The atmosphere in German stadiums can be quite electric. German fans love their football and you could see that during the nations support of its women's team this past summer.

For a team like Bayer Leverkusen that has been out of the Champions League for a while, these will be two big games. The home game for the Germans will be packed and full of loud fans.

While it may be nothing new for Barcelona to face rabid opposition fans, they have not faced much German opposition.

The fans may not help force Barcelona players into any mistakes, but they will certainly spur their team into possibly one of its best performances of the season.

Travel Disruptions

The last time Barcelona was forced to alter their travel plans in Europe, the end result was not good.

This is not to say that taking a bus took all the skill out of this brilliant team, but it did have an affect.

Leverkusen may not be of the same quality, but they could surely still benefit from any such advantage.

Michael Ballack

Michael Ballack will have a bone to pick with this team after Andres Iniesta's wonder strike in the last minute against Chelsea in 2009.

Ballack has scored some big goals in his career, and he may have one or two left in his pocket for Barcelona.

German Rearguard Action at Home

Bayer Leverkusen have two young center backs with talent and two experienced fullbacks to go alongside them.

The Germans haven't necessarily been great in the back this season, but at home in the Champions league they have done well against the likes of Chelsea and Valencia.

At home, the Germans will always be a much tougher outfit, and the four defenders, as well as goalkeeper Bernd Leno, will do everything he can to keep Barcelona out.

Injuries

Barcelona had a good amount of injuries early on in the season and were able to overcame them. There is no rule that says this will happen again.

David Villa is already out of action for some time, and if one or more key players gets injured before this tie, Barcelona may have problems.

Complacency

Overall, this is not really a problem for Barcelona. Pep Guardiola wants his team to win, win and win some more. The Club World Cup is being taken seriously for that very reason.

However, Guardiola still cannot make sure every single person does not lapse in concentration. It was probably a mixture of complacency and fatigue that did the team in at Getafe.

Victor Valdes' error against Real Madrid is an example of individual complacency.

One slip from one person in an important moment is all it takes. Barcelona should be vigilant against complacency.

German Efficiency

Bayer Leverkusen has the likes of Stefan Kießling, André Schürrle and Michael Ballack to throw at you offensively.

Schürrle has the pace to get on top of a Michael Ballack through ball and punish Barcelona. If a mistake leads to a counter or the Germans get their chance through a set-piece, it could very well be one of these three that sticks the ball in the net.

These three are not the only ones on the field capable of putting the ball in the net but, for some reason, you could bet it will be one of them if it happens.

Luck

Luck is just part of the game. A mishit clearance right to the opposition player in a dangerous position is lucky for them and unlucky for the victim.

Barcelona is by no means a lucky or unlucky team, and the majority of what they do and how they get results is pure skill. Luck still plays a part sometimes, though.

Bayer Leverkusen also has luck on its side. If the team gets a good share of it come February, things may get interesting.