Bayern face yet another huge European fixture as Thomas Tuchel and his team go to Manchester City on Tuesday in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. Find out more about the eight-time champions of England in our profile.
Form: Confident thanks to winning run
City go into this tie with plenty of momentum, having won their last eight competitive fixtures by an aggregate score of 31-3. They chalked up a 4-1 victory away at Southampton on Saturday. Top scorer Erling Haaland was back for that after an adductor issue and scored twice. The defending Premier League champions are currently second in the table, six points behind Arsenal.
Squad: A group of world-class players
There are world-class players from back to front in this Man City squad. Stability in defence is provided by 25-year-old Portuguese centre-back Ruben Dias and Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson, while Spain’s Rodri and captain Ilkay Gündogan are the beating heart in midfield. Creativity comes from Belgian Kevin de Bruyne, who once again boasts an excellent record this season with 16 assists in 27 Premier League appearances. The 31-year-old brought up his 100th assist in the division on Saturday in his 237th game – the fastest player ever to a century of provisions in England’s top flight. City’s attacking ranks also boast 22-year-old youth product Phil Foden – who is sidelined after having his appendix removed – Portugal’s Bernardo Silva and wide men Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez. Up front they now have Norway’s Haaland leading the line.
Player to watch: Erling Haaland
Standing at 1.95 metres (6’5’’), the centre-forward arrived in Manchester last summer from Borussia Dortmund and has been the star of the City show, scoring at a devastating rate. As well as 30 goals in the Premier League, Haaland has also netted 10 times in six Champions League games. He got five of them alone in the round of 16 second leg at home to RB Leipzig. Bayern will be very much aware of and familiar with the threat posed by the 22-year-old striker.
Plenty of domestic honours
Bayern are up against one of Europe’s best teams over the past decade. The Cityzens have been crowned champions of England six times in the last 10 years, also lifting the EFL Cup six times and the FA Cup once. However, they’re still waiting for that elusive European title. As well as reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2015/16 and 2021/22, City also made it to the 2020/21 final but were beaten in Porto by Chelsea.
Coach: Pep Guardiola
Bayern take on a familiar face in Pep Guardiola in the quarter-finals. The 52-year-old was in charge in Munich from 2013 to 2016, winning the Bundesliga in all three seasons and twice lifting the DFB Cup. Prior to his time in Bavaria, the former midfielder had spent four years in charge of former club Barcelona. His spells at the helm of Bayern, Barcelona and now Manchester City mean Guardiola is regarded as one of the best coaches of the last 15 years.
Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
City’s current home, the City of Manchester Stadium (known for sponsorship reasons as the Etihad Stadium) was opened in 2002 for the Commonwealth Games in the city. Holding 53,400 people, it’s the second-largest stadium in Manchester after Old Trafford – home of rivals Manchester United. The ground previously hosted the 2007/08 UEFA Cup final.
Honours even in head-to-head
Tuesday’s game will be the seventh time Bayern and City have faced each other competitively. The first encounter was in September 2011 in the Champions League group stage, with the most recent back in 2014/15. Both sides have recorded three wins each, which include two victories at home and one on foreign soil.
Returns for Sane and Cancelo
The quarter-finals will be a special occasion for Leroy Sane and Joao Cancelo. Both played for City prior to their moves to Munich and will face some familiar faces over these two legs. Sane spent four years in Manchester between 2016 and 2020, while Cancelo is on loan from the Cityzens for the second half of this season.
Check out some of the facts and stats ahead of the first leg:
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