On Tuesday evening (21.00 CET) FC Bayern play the second leg in the Champions League round of 16 against FC Salzburg: with the 1-1 draw in Austria three weeks ago, the team from Munich have given themselves a useful but by no means unassailable starting position. Read in the facts and figures why the German record champions can still go into the game with optimism:
1. Flawless at home against Austrian neighbours
Up to now Bayern have won all five of their home games in Europe against Austrian opponents (with a 15-3 goal tally). The last time Bayern played in their own stadium against an Austrian team was in November 2020 - and it was against current opponents FC Salzburg (FCB won 3-1 in the group phase). With the 1-1 draw in Salzburg in the first leg, FC Bayern have remained undefeated in the last ten meetings with teams from neighbouring Austria (seven wins, three draws).
2. Bayern strong at home vs. Salzburg’s winless away form
Speaking of a good home record: Julian Nagelsmann's team have won all three home games in the Champions League this season and have won 11 of the last 12 games at the Allianz Arena across the seasons – the exception being the agonising 3-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final first leg last season. Opponents Salzburg, on the other hand, are still without a win away from home in the current competition. Their 3-1 success at Lokomotiv Moscow in December 2020 is the Austrian champions’ only away victory in the Champions League so far, with four defeats and one draw.
3. Coman in great shape
Kingsley Coman secured a draw for Bayern with a last-minute goal in the first leg three weeks ago. The Frenchman has been directly involved in a goal in each of his last four appearances in the Champions League (two goals, two assists) – we can’t rule him out continuing his run: in the home game against Salzburg last season, the 25-year-old was already involved in two of the three FCB goals scored (1 goal and 1 assist).
4. Bayern just keep on scoring
Bayern need to score at least one goal on Tuesday evening to ease into the quarter-finals. So it's a good thing that Munich have scored in each of their last 29 Champions League games and have extended their club record. Slowly but surely, the German champions are also nearing the all-time scoring record in the competition, held by Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, with at least one goal in 34 consecutive games.
5. Young talent shines in Salzburg
Junior Adamu opened the scoring in the first leg, making him the fourth Salzburg player aged 21 or under to score in this season’s Champions League, alongside Karim Adeyemi, Noah Okafor and Luka Susic. Only Olympique Lyon have produced more goalscorers this young in Europe’s elite club competition (five in 2004/05).
We have compiled some notable round of 16 matches for you:
Topics of this article