FC Bayern come up against Villarreal CF in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the Munich men travelling to the Spanish east coast on Wednesday night (21:00 CEST) for the first leg. It’s the third meeting between the two clubs after Bayern won both matches in the 2011/12 UCL group stage (2-0 away, 3-1 at the Allianz Arena). Read about the runs and records that can give FCB optimism in the facts and stats:
1. Record extended
Bayern are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the 20th time - no other club have reached the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition so often. Barcelona follow in second place with 18 appearances.
2. FCB a force on the road
It’s gone brilliantly for Bayern on their travels in Europe in recent years. The Bavarians are unbeaten in 25 games on foreign soil in the Champions League (including the final tournament in 2020), winning 20 of those. They did only manage a 1-1 draw in their last away outing against Salzburg in the last 16, though.
3. Strong against Spaniards
Bayern are unbeaten in their last seven European matches against Spanish teams (W5 D2). The Reds are also undefeated in their four away outings in Spain since 2017 (W2 D2), including a 3-0 victory at Barcelona in this season’s group stage.
4. Goal machine firing in Europe too
Since a 0-0 draw at Liverpool in February 2019, FCB have scored in each of their 30 Champions League matches. In total they’ve netted an almighty 101 goals in that time - an average of 3.4 per game!
5. No stopping Lewy
Robert Lewandowski has registered 12 goals in eight Champions League appearances this season. Only Lionel Messi (2011/12), Cristiano Ronaldo (2013/14, 2015/16 and 2017/18) and Lewy himself (15 goals in 2019/20) have found the net more often in a UCL campaign.
6. Sané shining on the biggest stage
Similarly, Leroy Sané has been directly involved in 12 goals in eight Champions League matches this season (six goals, six assists). Bayern’s number 10 is only the second player to register more than five goals and more than five assists in a UCL campaign since detailed data collection began in 2003/04 - only Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino previously did so in the 2017/18 season with 10 goals and seven assists.
Learn more about Villarreal CF in our scouting report:
