A success story FC Bayern can continue against Atalanta

FC Bayern will enter uncharted territory in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. The German record champions face Atalanta for the first time in a competitive match in the first leg of the round of 16. A look back at the history books should give Vincent Kompany's side a boost - FCB have not lost one of these maiden encounters on the European stage for over 13 years. The 3-1 defeat at BATE Borisov was followed by 11 wins in 12 games (one draw), with all nine of the most recent first-time encounters having been won. fcbayern.com takes a look back at this run:

It's been less than two months since Bayern's last maiden encounter: In the last home game of the league phase, Vincent Kompany's side defeated Belgium's Royal Union Saint-Gilloise 2-0 despite being down to ten men for 30 minutes. After a hard-fought first half, two quick-fire goals from Harry Kane (52'/55') secured the win and early progress to the round of 16. "We changed down a gear, showed what we're capable of and therefore deserved to win," said captain Manuel Neuer, summing up the evening.

FC Bayern's first away trip of this season's campaign in Europe's premier club competition also took them to unfamiliar places: Reigning Cypriot champions Paphos were only formed in 2014 from a merger of two clubs and faced the record German champions and six-time winners of Ol' Big Ears in the first Champions League home game in the club's history. The seemingly clear starting position was also reflected in the result, even if the path to the 5-1 victory was by no means a walk in the park for Bayern. "It wasn't as easy as it looks," explained Kompany after the final whistle: "I hope the people in Cyprus saw how much respect we had, the way we pressed and how much legwork we put in."

Although Slovan Bratislava - winners of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1969 - are certainly not an unknown quantity in Europe, their first clash with FC Bayern did not take place until January 2025. The Munich men lived up to their role as favourites and won the game 3-1 with goals from Thomas Müller (8'), Harry Kane (63') and Kingsley Coman (84'). Bratislava ended the league phase on zero points - but still enjoyed the night: "It was a fantastic experience in this stadium in front of 5,000 fans - it was incredible," marvelled Slovan coach Vladimír Weiss after the match: "Everyone gave their best, but you can't compare us to FC Bayern."

After an unpleasant encounter with their predecessors B 1903 Copenhagen in the UEFA Cup in the early 1990s, Bayern faced FC Copenhagen, newly founded in 1992, once again in the Champions League group stage. The capital city club, by now the serial champions in Denmark, demanded a lot of Bayern. It took two goals from Jamal Musiala (67') and substitute Mathys Tel (83') to turn a 1-0 deficit into a victory for the Munich men. In addition to patience, quality from the bench is often needed in such difficult games, analysed Joshua Kimmich afterwards: "In the end, you don't need just 11 players, you need more. That's what got us the win today."

Just 110 kilometres separate the home grounds of FC Bayern and Salzburg as the crow flies - but in sporting terms, they were worlds apart for a long time. In the recent past, however, the Austrian serial champions have been permanent participants in the Champions League (even if they didn't manage to take part in 2025/26) and have therefore often been FC Bayern's opponents in Europe's premier club competition. The opening clash between the two clubs took place in Salzburg in November 2020 - and was a turbulent affair: Mergim Berisha (6') and Masaya Okugawa (66') scored for the home side, while Bayern countered with Robert Lewandowski (22'/88'), Jérôme Boteng (79'), Leroy Sané (83'), Lucas Hernández (90'+3) and an own goal from Salzburg's Rasmus Kristensen (44') to win 6-2 in the end. The spectacular match was no surprise from Thomas Müller's point of view: "It was clear that it could be a thrilling encounter."

The Stadio Olimpico in Rome has been the scene of German World Cup and European Championship triumphs. FC Bayern have also played three competitive matches there against Roma. In February 2021, the record champions were once again the visitors at the venerable old stadium - a good six months after the Champions League victory in Lisbon, this time against the other big club from the Italian capital in the round of 16 of Europe's premier club competition: Lazio. Unfortunately, no spectators were able to attend the maiden clash between the two clubs steeped in tradition due to the coronavirus pandemic - a real shame, because the match also featured a second historic moment: In the 4-1 win, Jamal Musiala got on the scoresheet for the first time, becoming FCB's youngest-ever goalscorer in the Champions League three days before his 18th birthday.

The Greek capital was of course no longer new territory for Bayern in the autumn of 2018 thanks to their previous clashes with Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. However, it certainly was the case for AEK Athens, who had just ended a 24-year drought without a league title. On their return to the Champions League, the Greeks were Bayern's opponents for the first time and frustrated the German record champions for long periods. It took a double strike from Javi Martínez (61') and Robert Lewandowski (63') to break the deadlock. "I'm happy. Other teams will struggle here," summarised FCB coach Niko Kovač afterwards. The Croatian wasn't entirely right in his assessment: AEK finished the group stage on zero points.

Sevilla are the record winners of the UEFA Cup / Europa League with seven triumphs. In the Champions League, however, the Andalusians have not yet made that big an impression and it was not until April 2018 that they met FC Bayern for the first time. By reaching the quarter-finals, Sevilla had achieved their greatest success to date in Europe's premier club competition - but the Munich men had no intention of letting the Spaniards progress any further. In a fiercely contested match at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, despite trailing at one stage, FCB ran out 2-1 winners thanks to an own goal from Jesús Navas (37') and a goal from Thiago (68'). The victory was worth its weight in gold in the end. In the second leg a week later, a 0-0 draw was enough for Bayern to progress to the semi-finals.

As Russian runners-up, Rostov qualified for the Champions League for the first and only time to date in the 2016/17 season. The game at the Allianz Arena on Matchday 1 of the group stage was not only the club's first clash with Bayern, but also their debut in Europe's most important club competition. The debutants intended to do well based on some solid defending, but at some point the home side's pressure just became too much. Robert Lewandowski (28'), Thomas Müller (45'+2), Joshua Kimmich (53'/60') and Juan Bernat fired Bayern to an emphatic 5-0 victory. "It was difficult to start with because there wasn't much space," said FCB coach Carlo Ancelotti afterwards, but "it became easier after the first goal."