UEFA Champions League Semi-Final : FC Barcelona v FC Bayern München

The return leg in the Champions League has an essential question - is it better for Barca to go for the nearly-impossible knockout, or to focus on getting a good result in the match itself, even if it does not help the team progress?
 

An iconic image, for an iconic result. Eric Abidal raises his hand in celebration as Barcelona celebrate their 5-0 win over arch-rivals Real Madrid on the 29th of November 2010. The result ultimately didn't secure anything; Barcelona still had to fight until the bitter end to secure the La Liga title, and they had to square off against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League too, before eventually lifting the famous trophy at Wembley. All in all, a hugely successful season for the Blaugrana, who arguably haven't hit those heady heights since. In fact, from that night onwards, it was always going to be downhill; forget titles and accolades, can anything come close to the jubilation we felt on that night as Barcelona dominated Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid? 

 

Well, a 5-0 win tonight against Bayern Munich would at least be on a par with that magical Monday evening at the Camp Nou; it is after all one of the few results that would send the Blaugrana through to the 2013 UEFA Champions League final. For all intents and purposes, Barcelona have already been eliminated - and the world is looking forward to a all-German affair at Wembley in a little over three weeks time. Maybe a 5-0 win will be out-of-reach, but that doesn't mean that Barcelona cannot send a message to the rest of Europe with a win at the Camp Nou: "The 4-0 defeat last week was an aberration, and next year, things will be different."

Predict the score of tonight's match by voting in our poll below, and commenting with your prediction in the comments section down below. Best of luck