Six games, six wins - FC Bayern have posted a flawless record in the group stage of the Champions League. In their last match of the group, the Reds beat FC Barcelona 3-0 on Wednesday evening. As a result, Bayern have entered the last 16 of the competition as extremely confident group winners and will now play a runner-up from another group in the Last 16.
No away goals rule
The last 16, which will be played in February/March of the new year, has a new feature this season: for the first time, the "away goals rule" will no longer apply - so if the aggregate score is tied after two 90 minute matches, the second leg will definitely go into extra time. The men from Munich will find out who they meet on Monday, 13 December, at noon German time, when the draw is made. fcbayern.com has the lowdown on Bayern's possible opponents.
Group A - Paris Saint-Germain
Last season FC Bayern lost out in the quarters to PSG.
The star-studded French side led by Lionel Messi (11 points) were beaten to top spot by Manchester City (12) in a high-calibre Group A and now await a group winner in the Last 16. Mauricio Pochettino's men eased past German side RB Leipzig (7) and Club Brugge (4) and could now face FC Bayern. PSG lead the French Ligue 1 commandingly, with an eleven-point advantage over Stade Rennais. Bayern and PSG have met in eleven competitive matches so far - five times the German record champions have won, six times PSG have run out winners. Their last meeting was in the UCL quarter-finals last season, with the Paris giants narrowly getting through, thanks to the "away goals rule" still in force at the time.
Group B - Atlético Madrid
Bayern and Atléti faced each other last season in the group stage. Bayern won 4-0 at home and drew 1-1 away.
The side from the Spanish capital (7 points) only booked their place in the last 16 on the last matchday of the group with a fiery 3-1 win at FC Porto, narrowly beating the Portuguese team (5pts) and AC Milan (4). Liverpool won Group B with six wins in six. Diego Simeone's team are currently fourth in La Liga and would, if they were to draw FC Bayern, be out for revenge: In their eight meetings so far, FCB have won four times (2 draws, 2 defeats).
Group C - Sporting Lisbon
The last time Bayern and Sporting played each other was March 2009. The Bavarians won 7-1 and the final goalscorer was a 19-year-old, one Thomas Müller.
Will Julian Nagelsmann's team travel to the Portuguese capital for the second time this season? After a group-stage away tie at Benfica, Manuel Neuer & Co. could meet local rivals Sporting in the last 16, who are neck-and-neck in their domestic league with FC Porto at the top of the table (both on 35 points). Rúben Amorim's men beat Borussia Dortmund, among others, in the group (3-1; 0-1) and finished second behind Ajax. Bayern and Sporting have met four times in the Champions League so far, with three wins and one draw in FCB's favour.
Group D - Inter Milan
In the 2010/11 season, FC Bayern were beaten in the last 16 by Inter Milan, who had ex-FCB player Lúcio in their team.
Even though FC Bayern's record against Inter Milan is even with three wins, one draw and three defeats, the German record champions would still have a score to settle with the Italian club. In 2011, a last-minute goal by Goran Pandev saw FC Bayern dramatically eliminated in the Last 16 against the Nerazzurri (1-0; 2-3). The year before, then-coach Louis van Gaal's team lost 2-0 in the Champions League final, hosted in Madrid. This season, Simone Inzaghi's team came second ahead of Sheriff Tiraspol and Shakhtar Donetsk in the group. Only Real Madrid were too strong for the Italians, who are just behind top side and city rivals AC (38 points) in Serie A (37).
Group F - FC Villareal / Atalanta Bergamo
A possible Group F opponent for FC Bayern will not be known until Thursday afternoon. The match between Atalanta Bergamo and FC Villareal had to be postponed on Wednesday due to heavy snow. Before the final group game, VIllareal are in second place with seven points, Bergamo third with six. Manchester United topped the group, with Young Boys of Bern bottom and eliminated.
Group G - FC Salzburg
Last season the two sides played each other in the group.
A short away trip would await FC Bayern if they were to be drawn against Group G's runners-up. FC Salzburg booked their ticket to the Last 16 with a 1-0 home win over FC Sevilla on Wednesday. The Austrians finished second in the final table behind OSC Lille and ahead of Sevilla. Last season, Bayern and Salzburg faced each other in the group stage. FCB won both games (6-2 away and 3-1 at home).
Group H - Chelsea
Bayern swatted away Chelsea in the Last 16 of the 2019/2020 Champions League campaign, before going on to win the trophy.
A last-minute goal in their final group match at Zenit St. Petersburg (3-3) meant that last year's winners Chelsea lost out on top spot of Group H to Juventus and finished second with 13 points. In the Premier League, Thomas Tuchel's team are third. So far, FCB and Chelsea games have thrown up 3 wins for Bayern and 2 for Chelsea.
The match report from a 3-0 Matchday 6 win over Barça:
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