Why Bayern can overcome Chelsea – the facts

FC Bayern kick off the league phase of the Champions League with a home match against Chelsea on Wednesday at 21:00 CEST – and as in the last few years, Bayern aim to make the league phase a stepping stone. Since the second group stage was abolished in the 2003/04 season, the German record champions boast the highest win rate in the group stage and league phase. Bayern have won 93 of their 128 matches, a rate of 73 percent. fcbayern.com has all the key stats and facts to whet the appetite for Wednesday’s encounter.

A good start as a tradition

The scoreboard at the Allianz Arena showing the final scoreline (9-2) between Bayern and Zagreb — Bayern’s 9-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb was their biggest win so far, but Munich regularly won their Champions League opening matches recently. | © FC Bayern

Bayern’s 9-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in their opening match last season was remarkable, and not only because of the scoreline. Munich won their 21^st consecutive opener in Europe’s premier club competition in Vincent Kompany’s first Champions League match as a coach – an unparalleled run that’s even more impressive in light of a goal difference of 60-7.

It won’t be an easy task to continue the streak against Club World Cup winners Chelsea. However, the Blues had patchy starts to the Champions League recently. The team from London lost 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb last season and have only won one of their last four matches on Matchday 1.

FCB’s strong recent record

FC Bayern have won four of their last five encounters with Chelsea across competitions. The only exception was the bitter defeat in the Finale dahoam in 2012. Chelsea have only lost more Champions League matches against Barcelona (four) than against the German record champions (three).

Alphonso Davies during the match against Chelsea — Bayern won their last home match against Chelsea 4-1 in August 2020. | © Getty

Bayern have lost only one of their last eleven Champions League encounters with English teams, winning eight and drawing two. They fell 3-1 to Liverpool in March 2019.

Kimmich at the highest level for years

Joshua Kimmich stands out in Europe’s premier club competition. Over the last three seasons (since 2022/23), the midfielder tops the rankings in several categories. 2,525 of his passes found a teammate and the 30-year-old created 83 chances, both best marks. Last season he played the most line-breaking passes (219) in the competition.