Wednesday sees FC Bayern play their first home match in this year’s Champions League season as they host Ukrainian record champions Dynamo Kyiv (kick-off 21:00 CEST). fcbayern.com has rounded up everything you need to know about the opposition on Matchday 2 of the group stage – their season so far, the record between the two teams and details on the squad.
Memorable draw in 1999
Dynamo Kyiv are not an unknown quantity to Bayern fans. The two sides have met 10 times before in European competition. It was the Ukrainians who had the upper hand in the early encounters, including both legs of the 1975 UEFA Super Cup final (1-0 and 2-0). However, since the 1990s, the record has turned in FCB’s favour, with five wins to four defeats (12-12 on aggregate).
There’s also been one draw, and it was one that those who are old enough to remember certainly will remember. In the first leg of the 1999 semi-final, Michael Tarnat got Bayern back into the contest with a 30-metre free kick to leave them 2-1 down at the break, but Dynamo, led by star striker Andriy Shevchenko, regained their two-goal lead shortly after the restart. Oliver Kahn and Co didn’t give up, though, with Stefan Effenberg’s sublime free kick (78’) and Carsen Jancker’s sheer desire (88’) making it 3-3 late on. Bayern won the return leg in Munich 1-0 thanks to a wonderful curling strike from Mario Basler, sending them through to the final, which they lost 2-1 against Manchester United. The most recent meeting came in the season after that in the group stage, with the home team winning on both occasions.
Season so far: Unbeaten in UCL and league
Kyiv travel to Munich on the back of a 2-0 win over Rukh Vynnyky on Saturday evening and therefore come with plenty of confidence. Overall, the defending champions and cup winners have fully justified their status as favourites in the Ukrainian Premier League. Mircea Lucescu’s men have won eight of their nine league games and drawn the other, leaving them three points clear at the top of the table.
In the Champions League, the capital club began with a 0-0 draw against Benfica. Their only setback so far this season came a week ago, when the record champions lost 3-0 to arch-rivals Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian Super Cup.
Attacking firepower & defensive solidity
Dynamo strengthened particularly in attack over the summer and have excited fans with a young team (average age of around 25). The record champions have impressed in their domestic league with their attacking strength, scoring 25 goals in just nine matches. Seven of those have come from top scorer Viktor Tsyhankov, who was on target again at the weekend. At the other end, they’ve conceded just two goals. Coach Lucescu puts a big emphasis on the balance between attack and defence and normally lines his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The best in Ukraine
With 16 Ukrainian league titles as well as 13 Soviet titles, 13 Ukrainian and nine Soviet cup successes, plus two triumphs in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, Dynamo Kyiv are the most successful football club in the country. The club was formed in 1927 and was a founding member of both the Soviet league and later the Ukrainian league. Together with Shakhtar, they’re the only team to have never been relegated from the top flight. Dynamo are one of the country’s most renowned clubs abroad, having had football legends such as Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Oleg Blokhin and Shevchenko playing in the blue and white shirt. The team plays their home matches at the hallowed Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, which holds 66,000 spectators for European fixtures.
Learn more about the legendary 3-3 draw in 1999:
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