Long lay-off for Tom Starke

Adding to Bayern’s woes after the loss of Pepe Reina to injury, backup keeper Tom Starke is now facing a long spell on the sidelines. The 33-year-old suffered a torn syndesmosis ligament in his left ankle in training on Sunday and underwent surgery the following day. The former Hoffenheim shot-stopper will start out on a sports rehab programme later this week, with no date yet set for a return to action. FCB II keeper Leopold Zingerle will deputise for Starke in the matchday squad for Tuesday’s Champions League trip to AS Roma.

Positive record against Roma

FC Bayern have had the better of previous meetings with AS Roma over the years. The clubs have met four times in European competition to date with the Germans winning three and the Italians one. The pair last crossed swords in the 2010/11 Champions League group stage: Munich won 2-0 at the Allianz Arena but Roma prevailed 3-2 on their home field. Both teams ended up advancing to the knockout stages.

Bayern v Italians, Roma versus Germans

FCB lead the head-to-head record against the men from the Italian capital, but Germany’s most successful club have had slightly the worse of all meetings with Italian teams. The Bavarians have played Serie A opponents 37 times in Europe with 14 wins, eight draws, 15 defeats, 50 goals scored and 48 conceded. Roma’s record in 22 games against German teams (including clubs from the former GDR) is similar, with nine wins, a solitary draw and 12 defeats.

Eriksson in charge

Experienced match official Jonas Eriksson of Sweden has been appointed to referee Tuesday’s clash between Bayern and AS Roma. The 40-year-old has taken charge of almost 100 European ties, with the game at Stadio Olimpico set to be his 26th in the Champions League. Eriksson has refereed three matches involving Bayern, most recently the 3-1 victory over Manchester United in last season’s quarter-final return.