Parisian glamour, Belgian royalty and Glaswegian atmosphere

FC Bayern have been drawn against Paris Saint-Germain, Anderlecht and Celtic for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. They are three teams the record German champions have not faced for some time. The Bavarians last met the Scottish champions in the 2003/04 group stage. Anderlecht were also in that group alongside Lyon to complete the French contingent. fcbayern.com will therefore introduce you to the upcoming European opponents.

Paris Saint-Germain: Glitz and glamour

Paris Saint-Germain is the name on everyone’s lips right now. That is mostly down to their superstar new signing from Barcelona, Neymar. But the Brazilian is not the only household name in Unai Emery’s squad. Germany internationals Kevin Trapp and Julian Draxler are joined for example by Dani Alves, Marco Veratti, Angel di Maria and Edison Cavani at the Parc des Princes.

After three seasons of near total dominance in Ligue 1, the Parisians were knocked off top spot last time out by Monaco and finished the campaign in second place. Bayern have faced PSG six times in the Champions League, winning just two of the encounters. The Bavarians in fact lost their first-ever Champions League match 2-0 against the Parisians in September 1994.

However, Bayern won the last meeting 2-0 in 2000 group stage on the way to lifting the title. The match in Paris will be particularly special for Carlo Ancelotti and Kingsley Coman. The Italian coach spent 18 months in charge at the Parc des Princes (January 2012 – June 2013) and also gave youth product Coman his debut for the first team.

RSC Anderlecht: Royal Sporting Club

Anderlecht have a glorious history behind them. “Royal Sporting Club” are not just reigning champions of Belgium but also the country’s record champions with 34 titles. On the continental front, the Brussels club have a UEFA Cup title (1982/83), two UEFA Super Cups (1976/77 and 1978/79) and a pair of UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup trophies (1975/76 and 1977/78) in their cabinet.

Their last meeting with Bayern was also a number of years ago. FCB in fact lost the second leg of the UEFA Cup last 16 tie at home in 2008 (2-1) but still qualified comfortably after a 5-0 win in the first leg. The overall head-to-head record is positive for Bayern with five wins, two draws and three defeats. Rene Weiler has been in charge of the Brussels club since last season, who play their home games at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. The Swiss boss now leads the Belgian champions into the Champions League.

Celtic: Goosebump atmosphere

Celtic and city rivals Rangers are Scotland’s biggest clubs. With countless trophies won, including a European Cup in 1966/67 and 48 league titles, the Glasgow club is known for its passionate fans. Celtic Park is one of the most atmospheric stadiums in Europe and it’s enough to give every football fan goosebumps when they play “You’ll never walk alone.”

Bayern have experienced this at first hand once before. Oliver Kahn and his side managed to scavenge a 0-0 draw in the 2003/04 Champions League group stage before winning the reverse fixture 2-1 a couple of weeks later. “The Bhoys” have been coached by Brendan Rodgers for over a year now and qualified for this season’s group stage thanks to a play-off win over Kazakh side Astana.