It's record champions against promoted team as FC Bayern host SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CEST). The roles are clearly allocated – at least that's what the statistics say. The Bavarians have won 29 of their last 32 games against promoted sides at home – along with two draws, the only defeat in this period was on the final day of the 2017/18 campaign, when VfB Stuttgart crashed the party for the already long crowned champions. fcbayern.com has garnered the other facts and figures on the Matchday 9 clash:
New record against promoted teams possible
Bayern have put league newcomers in their place in recent years and won each of their last five home encounters with promoted sides – scoring four or more goals each time to boot. Only Werder Bremen between 1982 and 1984 have had such a run in Bundesliga history (five home games with four or more goals). Can the Munich men set a new record on Saturday?
Bayern prolific at the Allianz Arena
Even if it's not four goals, it's highly likely that Thomas Tuchel's men will manage at least one goal against the Hessians. After all, the German record champions have found the net at least once in each of their last 61 home league matches. Only Bayern themselves have recorded a longer run of this kind in the history of the German top flight (62 games from 1979 to 1982 and 64 from 1970 to 1974). In contrast, Darmstadt are without a clean sheet in their last 25 away outings in the Bundesliga, longer than any current Bundesliga club.
FCB attack unmatched in Europe
That's not the only thing that suggests the Allianz Arena faithful will be celebrating again on Saturday. Bayern have scored at least two goals in all eight of their Bundesliga outings this term, and in 12 of their last 13 overall. The German champions boast the highest average goals out of all teams in Europe's top five leagues in the current campaign (3.3 per game). Opponents Darmstadt, meanwhile, have conceded the joint most goals in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season together with Mainz (22), although they have provided entertainment too. The Lilies' matches have produced 35 goals (an average of over four per game) – more than any other team in the league.
Head-to-head clearly in favour of Bayern
Bayern and Darmstadt first met nearly 45 years ago on 11.11.1978. In keeping with the date, the result was a 1-1 draw but since then, the Reds have given nothing away and won their subsequent eight meetings with the Lilies. SVD will not want to be reminded of the teams' last clash in particular, on 6 May 2017 at the Allianz Arena, when a 1-0 win for FCB confirmed Darmstadt's relegation to Bundesliga 2. Lilies coach Torsten Lieberknecht doesn't have fond memories of games against Bayern, either: he's come up against the German record champions five times as a player and coach, and lost all five without his teams scoring a single goal.
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