At 9pm CEST on Wednesday, the Champions League anthem will ring out in the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon for the first time in almost three years for the semi-final duel between Bayern and Olympique Lyon, setting the fans' hearts racing in front of their televisions. The last time the anthem was heard at Sporting Lisbon's home ground was in December 2017, when the Green and Whites lost 2-0 to our quarter-final opponents Barcelona. fcbayern.com showcases the arena in the Portuguese capital.
Bayern undefeated at the Estadio Jose Alvalade
Bayern have very fond memories of the stadium that opened in 2003. The Munich side have prevailed against the home team twice - in the group stage in October 2006 (1-0) and in the clear 5-0 win in the last 16 first leg in February three years later. On the first occasion, board members Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidžić were on the pitch. Miroslav Klose, current assistant coach to Hansi Flick, made it 2-0 in the 2009 victory.
The arena, named after Sporting founder Jose Alfredo Holtreman Roquette, better known as Jose Alvalade, is the centre of the Alvalaxia complex, which includes a 12 screen cinema, fitness centre, club museum, sports hall, clinic, Lidl shop and an office building. The Estadio Jose Alvalade's design is particularly striking with the multicoloured facade and colourful seats.
Bad memories for Germany
The Germany national team does not have such good memories of the venue. The team featuring captain Kahn, Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Michael Ballack suffered a 2-1 loss against the Czech Republic in the final group game at the Estadio Jose Alvalade at the 2004 European Championships and were eliminated from the tournament. Five tournament matches were played in the arena - three in the group stage, a quarter-final and the semi-final between the Netherlands and eventual finalists Portugal.
Find all the information about this year's Champions League tournament in Lisbon here:
Topics of this article