Atletico Madrid can achieve a piece of club history with victory in their final group D fixture against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Both sides have already secured qualification for the knockout rounds but section winners Atlético are looking to complete a clean sweep of wins in a Uefa Champions League group stage for the first time.
Bayern, six points behind Atlético in second place, have a different record on their minds. With their 4-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven on matchday three they made it 14 straight home wins in the Uefa Champions League – a competition best.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Eventual runners-up Atlético overcame Bayern on away goals in last season’s semi-final with the help of a 1-0 home success, Saúl Ñíguez the scorer. Bayern won the return 2-1, Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski scoring either side of Antoine Griezmann on a night when Thomas Müller and Fernando Torres both had penalties saved.
The line-ups for the second leg in Munich on 3 May were:
Bayern: Neuer, Lahm, Martínez, Boateng, Alaba, Alonso, Vidal, Douglas Costa (Coman 73), Müller, Ribéry, Lewandowski.
Atlético: Oblak, Juanfran, Giménez, Godín, Filipe Luís, Gabi, Augusto (Carrasco 46), Saúl, Koke (Savic 90+3), Griezmann (Partey 82), Torres.
The clubs had previously met in the 1974 European Cup final in Brussels where Bayern prevailed after a replay – the only time this has happened in a final.
Atlético were seconds away from winning the first match after a Luis Aragonés goal (114) but Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck’s 120th-minute equaliser rescued Bayern, who won the replay 48 hours later through two goals each from Uli Hoeness and Gerd Müller.
MATCH BACKGROUND
Bayern Munich
Carlo Ancelotti’s men are seeking a 15th consecutive Uefa Champions League home win, along with revenge for their 1-0 loss at the Vicente Calderón on 28 September, inflicted by a Yannick Carrasco goal.
Bayern’s 3-2 defeat at FC Rostov last time out confirmed they would qualify as the second-placed team in group D.
It is the first time they have failed to win their group since 2009-10 when they finished on ten points – one better than their current haul.
The last time Bayern failed to win a Uefa Champions League home game was on 29 April 2014 when they succumbed 4-0 to Real Madrid CF in the semi-final second leg. During their competition record 14-game winning streak they have scored 52 goals and conceded only eight, keeping eight clean sheets.
Bayern’s home record against Spanish clubs is W17 D5 L2; overall against Spanish clubs it is P52 W24 D12 L16.
Atlético Madrid
Diego Simeone’s men have won their first two group D away games 1-0, in Eindhoven and Rostov-on-Don.
They have lost on their last two visits to Germany where their record reads: P17 W5 D3 L9; overall it is P37 W18 D6 L13.
Adrián López and Radamel Falcao struck when Atlético last won in Germany – 2-1 at Hannover 96 in the 2011/12 Uefa Europa League quarterfinals. Diego Godín, Koke, Filipe Luís and Tiago played for the Madrid club that night.
Only six teams have won all six games in a Uefa Champions League group stage: Real Madrid (2011-12, 2014-15),
AC Milan (1992-93), Paris Saint-Germain (1994-95), FC Spartak Moskva (1995-96) and FC Barcelona (2002-03).
COACH AND PLAYER LINKS
This contest renews the rivalry between Atlético coach Simeone and Ancelotti who, during his time as Real Madrid coach, oversaw the Rojiblancos’ 4-1 extra-time defeat in the 2014 Uefa Champions League final.
Overall, Ancelotti’s record against Simeone’s team in Madrid derbies was W4 D4 L5.
As an SS Lazio player in April 2000, Simeone scored the only goal in a 1-0 success at Ancelotti’s Juventus in the penultimate month of a season where Lazio won the Scudetto by a single point from the Bianconeri.
Antoine Griezmann scored both goals for France in their Uefa Euro 2016 semifinal victory over a Germany side including Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jérôme Boateng and Thomas Müller.
Renato Sanches played in Portugal’s Euro final triumph over Griezmann’s France. Kingsley Coman came on as a substitute for Les Bleus.
Nicolas Gaitán was in the SL Benfica team beaten by Bayern (2-3 aggregate) in the 2015-16 Uefa Champions League quarterfinals.
Renato Sanches lost 2-1 at home to Atlético with Benfica in last season’s group stage; Arturo Vidal’s Juventus lost 1-0 at the Vicente Calderón in the 2014-15 group stage.
Stefan Savic played for Manchester City FC in a 2-0 group stage home victory over Bayern in 2011-12. Fernando Torres appeared as a substitute in Chelsea FC’s 2012 Uefa Champions League final triumph over Bayern in Munich. Neuer, Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben, Boateng, Philipp Lahm and Müller were all in the Bayern lineup.
Bayern players who have faced Atlético in Spain:
- Xabi Alonso (Real Sociedad de Fútbol, 2001–04, Real Madrid, 2009–14) – P21 W15 D3 L3
- Juan Bernat (Valencia CF, 2012–14) – P4 D2 L2
- Javi Martínez (Athletic Club, 2006–13) – P13 W5 L8
- Thiago Alcántara (FC Barcelona, 2008–13) – P2 W2
- Arjen Robben (Real Madrid CF, 2007–09) – P1 D1
- Javi Martínez’s stats against Atlético include a 3-0 defeat with Athletic Club in the 2012 UEFA Europa League final.
International team-mates:
Juanfran, Koke, Fernando Torres & Juan Bernat, Javi Martínez, Xabi Alonso, Thiago Alcántara (Spain)
Antoine Griezmann & Kingsley Coman, Franck Ribéry (France)
Filipe Luís & Douglas Costa (Brazil)
Have played together in club football: Tiago & Arjen Robben (Chelsea FC, 2004-05)
MATCH FACTS
Bayern Munich
Lahm and Boateng are a booking away from a ban.
After two successive defeats, Bayern returned to winning ways on 26 November with a 2-1 home victory against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Mats Hummels scoring his first Bundesliga goal for the club.
Lewandowski has scored 23 goals in his last 23 outings for club and country.
Coman (knee and ankle) and Julian Green (muscular) will be out for the rest of the year.
Bayern announced on 27 November that Ribéry had extended his contract until the end of June 2018.
Atlético Madrid
Filipe Luís is a booking away from a ban.
Atlético have kept four successive clean sheets.
Roberto Núñez, the joint 15-goal all-time leading marksman in the Uefa Youth League, scored on his senior debut as the Rojiblancos posted a 6-0 victory at CD Guijuelo in the first leg of their Copa del Rey round of 32 tie.
Carrasco, on target twice against Guijuelo, has 11 goals in his last 13 appearances for club and country.
Chapecoense commemoration
Teams taking part in all of the matchday six Uefa Champions League and Uefa Europa League matches will observe a minute’s silence to pay respect to the victims of last week’s air disaster involving the Chapecoense team and accompanying delegation. The Brazilian club lost most of their players and coaching staff in the accident, which occurred in Colombia, where Chapecoense were due to play the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional.
“European football is united in expressing its deepest sympathy to Chapecoense, the Brazilian Football Confederation[CBF], CONMEBOL and the families of all the victims,” said Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin. “This tragedy has shaken the world of football, and we would like to send our support to all of those affected by it.”
