After the 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Bayern immediately turned their attention ahead: “I’m sure we’ll show a different side in the second leg,” stated Joshua Kimmich. On Tuesday at 21:00 CEST, it’s about turning around the deficit at the Allianz Arena and progressing to the semi-finals. “We’ll pull ourselves together and want to hit back in the second leg,” declared Thomas Müller confidently. fcbayern.com has compiled a few facts and stats that offer hope of success.
1. Been there, done that
Bayern have progressed in the Champions League knockout stages after an away defeat in the first leg on three previous occasions: in the quarter-finals against Porto in 2014/15, in the round of 16 against Basel in 2011/12 and in the round of 16 against Real Madrid in 2006/07. On top of that, in the predecessor competition the European Cup, the Munich men overturned a first-leg defeat four times.
We’ve looked back at FCB’s Champions League comebacks:
2. Bayern strong at home in the Champions League
Bayern have won 12 of their last 13 home matches in the Champions League. The 3-2 reverse against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals last season is the only exception. In the current campaign, all four European games at the Allianz Arena have ended in convincing wins by a margin of at least three goals.
3. Consecutive winless UCL games a rarity
It’s over three years since Bayern went multiple Champions League matches in a row without winning. The last time was in 2018/19, when they registered two draws and a defeat against Ajax and twice against Liverpool. The last time they suffered back-to-back defeats was in April 2017 in the quarter-final against Real Madrid. It’s even longer since FCB last went more than one UCL fixture without scoring - in the 2013/14 semi-final against Real.
4. Lewy loves the Allianz Arena
The Best FIFA Men’s Player Robert Lewandowski particularly likes hitting the back of the net in his home surroundings of the Allianz Arena. Eight of the Pole’s 12 Champions League goals this season have come in the four matches at home - including two hat-tricks and a brace.
5. FCB can move up to second place
Victory over Villarreal would be Bayern’s 159th in the Champions League, which would see them move above FC Barcelona and alone in second place behind Real Madrid (172 wins) in the all-time ranking.
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