11 consecutive UCL group-stage wins? Bayern chasing next record in Pilsen

Let’s do it again! Bayern are back in midweek action as they look to continue their impressive run in the Champions League with another win at Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday night (live text and free Web Radio from 21:00 CEST on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app). The games are coming thick and fast during a busy autumn for Julian Nagelsmann’s men, who have collected maximum points from their three UCL matches so far. If Barcelona fail to beat Inter Milan in the other fixture in Group C, FCB could already qualify for the round of 16 on Matchday 4 with three points in the Czech Republic. Get the lowdown on Wednesday evening’s clash in our preview.

Here are the best images from the day before the meeting in Pilsen:

The situation for FC Bayern

After two convincing home wins over Bayer 04 Leverkusen (4-0) in the Bundesliga and in the reverse fixture against Plzen (5-0) in the Champions League, Bayern suffered a minor setback in the eagerly awaited Bundesliga showdown at Borussia Dortmund, drawing 2-2. The pursuit of leaders Union Berlin and nearest rivals Freiburg continues this Sunday with a big match against second-placed SC, but before that Leon Goretzka and Co want to continue their perfect record in the Champions League this season. The Bavarians have scored nine goals in their three victories, while the recently impressive defence is yet to concede. Bayern’s last 10 UCL group matches have all ended in victory - number 11 would see them become outright record holders.

Except for the late slip-up at Dortmund, the recent performances – such as the comfortable win over the Czech champions last week, when in-form Leroy Sané (two), Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mané and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting were on the scoresheet – give hope of another success. With Inter’s help on Wednesday evening, the final whistle could even spell: round of 16, here we come!

The key stats ahead of the clash with the Czechs:

The opponents: Viktoria Plzen

If Viktoria want to stay in Europe’s premier club competition beyond the winter, they must get something against the German record champions. Having started with three defeats against Barcelona (5-1), Inter Milan (2-0) and Bayern, Michael Bílek’s side have their backs against the wall. Things are going much better in the Czech Fortuna Liga, where Plzen are ahead of Slavia and Sparta Prague at the top with eight wins from 10 games. The underdogs go into this one on the back of a win after beating Mladá Boleslav 2-0 at the weekend. Now the Pilsen club are set for a special evening. “The match will be a great event for the whole of Pilsen. We’ll do our best to get the best possible result,” said Bílek.

Our latest report on the Czech champions:

The team news for Viktoria Plzen vs. FC Bayern

As well as Bouna Sarr (knee surgery), Lucas Hernández (muscle tear in adductor) and Jamal Musiala (COVID-19), captain Manuel Neuer (shoulder bruise), Matthijs de Ligt (muscular problem in left hip), Gnabry (knee capsule injury) and Alphonso Davies (rest after cranial bruise) have also not travelled to the Czech Republic.

More on the injury news:

Plzen are still without Czech international and left winger Jan Sýkora (knee). Goalkeeper Jindřich Staněk and defender Lukáš Hejda are doubts.

What the coaches say

Julian Nagelsmann: “Twelve points would put us in a good position to reach the next round. It would give us the required calmness, also for Sunday, which is an extremely important game for us. It’s down to us to maintain this haven of the Champions League. All of my players want to play tomorrow and on Sunday. You always play to win, no matter who you’re against.”

Michal Bílek (Viktoria Plzen): “We want to be comapt in every match. We had a lot of problems in the first match against Bayern, we left them too much space in several situations. We’ve learned from that. I expect our attack to be better and much braver than last week. Bayern Munich are a great club, but we’re playing at home and want to make our fans happy.”

Watch the pre-match press conference with Nagelsmann and Goretzka in full: