Bayern are contesting their 22nd campaign in Europe's elite club competition, but there will still be a premiere for the German record champions on Tuesday as they will cross swords with AEK Athens for the first time. The last encounter with a Greek side was three years ago, when Bayern beat Olympiacos twice in the Champions League group stage, a 3-0 away victory in September and a 4-0 home win in November 2015. Thomas Müller was the most prolific scorer in the double-header, netting a total of three goals. fcbayern.com has compiled more interesting facts and figures.
Unbeaten against Greek clubs
FC Bayern have encountered Greek sides nine times in European competition and never lost, scoring 27 goals and conceding only three. The Bavarians have won seven matches, only PAOK holding them to two goalless draws in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup Round of 32, when the men from Munich advanced thanks to a 9-8 penalty shootout win. FC Bayern have not conceded a single goal in the last six matches against Greek sides.
Bayern strong on the road
Travel sickness? Not at FC Bayern! The German record champions have won five of their last six Champions League matches on the road. They only failed to win in the last season's semi-final return leg away to Real Madrid, a 2-2 draw. The last time FCB boasted a similar streak in the Champions League was from October 2012 to April 2014, when they set a new club record of going without defeat in ten consecutive away matches. Bayern have scored at least two goals in all of their last six CL matches on foreign soil. The last time they achieved that feat was from December 2009 to November 2010, when they scored twice in seven away matches on the bounce.
Kovac brothers know AEK
The match will be a first for FC Bayern, but their coaches have encountered AEK Athens before. Niko Kovac lost to them as a Red Bull Salzburg player in the first round of the 2007/08 UEFA Cup. His brother Robert lost against AEK as a Bayer Leverkusen player in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup third round. Both can make up for those disappointments in new roles.
Ref from Belarus
Aleksei Kulbakov from Belarus will be the man in the middle on Tuesday evening. The 38-year-old has been a Champions League match official for five years and has taken charge of one match involving FC Bayern. He oversaw the 5-0 home victory over Dinamo Zagreb on 29 September 2015, when Robert Lewandowsko bagged a hat-trick. Kulbakov's assistants will be Dmitri Zhuk, Oleg Maslyanko, Denis Scherbakov, Dzmitry Dzmitryieu and Yury Khomchenko.
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