FC Bayern progressed to the Champions League finals tournament in confident fashion with victories in both legs against Chelsea in the round of 16. Now Hansi Flick’s side are up against a real top-class side in Barcelona in the last eight on Friday evening (kick-off 9pmCEST). Here are seven interesting facts and stats to whet your appetite for this mouth-watering European clash.
1. Battle of record quarter-finalists
Bayern and Barcelona are both in the Champions League quarter-finals for the 18th time, making them the joint record-holders in this category. For the Catalans, it’s also their 13th quarter-final appearance in a row, another record in the competition.
Bayern secured their spot in the final eight with a 4-1 win at home to Chelsea in their round of 16 second leg.
2. Bayern with upper hand in the fixture
There have been 10 competitive meetings between these two five-time European champions, and it’s the Munich side who have their noses in front with six wins (two draws, two defeats). Five of those wins have come in the Champions League – indeed, Barca have not lost to any other team as often in Europe’s premier club competition. The Catalans have also never beaten Bayern away from Camp Nou.
3. Good omens for winners
These two European giants have crossed swords four times in the knockout stages of a UEFA competition – and every time the winner has gone on to lift the trophy. The German record champions claimed the 1996 UEFA Cup after knocking out the 26-time Spanish champions as well as the Champions League in 2013, while Barca’s Champions League successes in 2009 and 2015 both came after meetings with Bayern.
Clashes with Barcelona have provided lots of great moments – here are the highlights so far:
4. Bayern’s incredible winning run
Since their 2-1 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach on 7 December 2019, Flick’s men have gone a whopping 27 games unbeaten in all competitions (26 wins, one draw) and have even won each of their last 18 – a record in German professional football. Since the restart alone, the Bavarians have picked up 12 wins in 12 games with a goal difference of 37:10.
5. Free-scoring Bayern with perfect Champions League record
Bayern have not just won all eight of their matches in this Champions League campaign, but they’ve also set a new record for the highest goals tally at this stage with 31! The previous record, incidentally, was held by opponents Barcelona, who had 30 goals after eight games in the 2011/12 season. What’s more, the Catalans are also the last team to have won nine consecutive matches in this competition (between October 2014 and May 2015).
6. Lewandowski leads Messi
Robert Lewandowski leads the goalscoring charts in the Champions League this season with 13 goals, meaning he’s netted as many times as the entire Barcelona squad put together. His opposite number is Lionel Messi, who has only managed three goals in the competition this term but has proven to be just as deadly as the Polish striker recently. Since the resumption of football, no other player has been involved in as many goals in Europe’s top five leagues as Lewandowski (14 goals, three assists) and Messi (seven goals, nine assists).
7. Lisbon a happy hunting ground
As well as being unbeaten in 13 European outings outside Munich (10 wins, three draws), Bayern are now playing in Lisbon, a city where they’ve never lost. They’ve won five of their eight games in the Portuguese capital, drawing three.
There’s more info on Barcelona in our opposition profile:
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