Impressive away team meets strong starters
Sun | 12/09/21 | 17:52
6 facts on the Champions League clash at Barcelona
On Tuesday evening, at long last, the Champions League anthem will ring out again when FC Bayern travel to Barcelona for the start of the new campaign in Europe's premier club competition! (Kick-off at 21:00 CEST). The two teams will meet for the twelfth time, and we bring you up to date on previous clashes as well as other important facts and figures.
1. Stats clearly favour Bayern
Thanks to a magnificent performance, FC Bayern celebrated a historic 8-2 win in the last clash with Barcelona in the 2019/20 quarter-finals.
Of the eleven previous clashes with Barcelona, FC Bayern have won seven, drawn two and lost two. The last encounter went down in the history books. Bayern defeated Barça 8-2 in the quarter-finals of the 2019/20 Champions League before going on to clinch the title a short time later.
2. Bayern impressive on the road
FC Bayern are unbeaten in 18 away games in the Champions League (14 wins, 4 draws). That's the longest run in the history of the competition. The last defeat on the road against one of Europe's elite sides came four years ago, when the men from Munich lost 3-0 at Paris Saint-Germain in September 2017.
3. A meeting of two strong starters
Last season, FC Bayern celebrated a 4-0 home win against Atlético Madrid in the CL opener, with Kingsley Coman scoring two goals.
Bayern have won all of their last 17 Champions League openers (since the 2003/04 season). That's the current record in the competition. In those games, the men from Munich scored 42 goals and conceded just two. But Barcelona also have excellent starting qualities in Europe's premier club competition. The Catalans haven't lost a single one of their last 22 opening matches (17 wins, 5 draws).
4. Müller's favourite opponents
Thomas Müller scored a brace against Barça in the 8-2 triumph in August 2020.
Thomas Müller has scored six goals in five Champions League games against Barcelona - more than against any other opponents and more than any other player against the Catalans in the history of the competition. Müller is also just two goals shy of becoming the eighth player with 50 Champions League goals.
5. Top scorer Lewandowski
In his last Champions League match, Robert Lewandowski scored the opener against Lazio - the striker missed last year's quarter-final against PSG due to injury.
Since the start of the 2018/19 season, Robert Lewandowski has scored 28 goals in the Champions League - eight more than any other player in the competition. The striker has also failed to get on the scoresheet in just three of his last 17 games in the group stage, scoring a staggering 23 goals in those 17 matches.
6. Nagelsmann following in the footsteps of Magath and Tuchel
After Felix Magath and Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann will become the third German coach to lead three different clubs into the Champions League (previously Hoffenheim and Leipzig).
We've revisited the eleven previous encounters between FC Bayern and Barcelona:
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