The Champions League semi-final has football fans across the world on the edge of their seats. When FC Bayern take on Barcelona in the last four it will be a meeting of the two teams with the best record in Europe’s premier club competition over the past seven years. Barcelona have reached that stage six times over that period and have gone on to win the European title twice. FC Bayern have reached the semi-finals five times, reaching the final in three seasons and lifting the trophy once in 2013. fcbayern.de brings you the facts and figures ahead this week’s first leg clash.
Bayern impress at Camp Nou
Barcelona are on top form ahead of the clash with FC Bayern. The Catalans have won their last eight matches in the Champions League and are just one victory away from equalling the club record set in 2002/03. The team at the top of La Liga have only lost one of the past 32 Champions League home games (with 25 wins and six draws) - that was a 3-0 defeat against FC Bayern in 2012/13. FCB have not won in their last three away ties. The last victory was the 7-1 win at AS Roma last October. On the other hand, Bayern Munich have won three out of four matches at Camp Nou, a record not matched by any other club on the European stage.
Bayern 5 – Barca 1
It is hard to believe but FC Bayern and Barcelona have only met four times on the European stage with three of those ties in the Champions League. The record in the eight games to date is clearly in favour of the Reds with five wins, one defeat and two draws. Bayern have come out on top in three knock-out matches (the last time was in 2012/13) and the Catalan side once.
Barca 11 – Bayern 9
FC Barcelona hold the record for semi-final appearances in the Champions League with a total of eleven to date. The last three times the Catalans came through the last four they went on to win the competition (2006, 2009, 2011). However: Barcelona have been knocked out three times in the previous four Champions League semi-finals. FC Bayern are in the last four for the fourth time in succession and the ninth season overall. Success this time round would put FCB in the final for a fourth time since 2010.
Goals galore
There should be no shortage of goals in the semi-final encounter between Bayern and Barca. FCB have the best goals return with 30 in the Champions League this term and are just one away from equalling the current club record (31 in the 2012/13 campaign). Barcelona have the strongest attack with Lionel Messi (8), Neymar (6) and Luis Suarez (6). The trio have netted 87 percent of Barca’s goals this season (20 out of 23). These two teams have never drawn 0-0.
Barca’s last defeat… was to Bayern
Barcelona have lost only two of their last 19 games in Europe against German teams (14 wins, three draws), but both defeats bring back happy memories for Bayern fans as they were the two matches in the 2012/13 semi-finals, which ended 4-0 and 3-0 for Munich. That was also the last time a German team overcame a Spanish one in the knockout stages, as the Iberian side has emerged victorious from the last six Germany-Spain clashes.
Last four victory = title triumph
All good things come in threes! Germany’s biggest club have twice met the Catalans at the semi-final stage of a European club competition, with Bayern winning on both occasions and going on to lift the trophy, in 1995/96 in the UEFA Cup (4-3 on aggregate) and in 2012/13 in the Champions League (7-0 on aggregate). Now it’s Barcelona in the semis for the third time…
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