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Big Match Feature: Bayern v Atletico

football21 October 2020 07:58
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Bayern München's defence of the Uefa Champions League, and their long winning run in the competition, faces a tough opening Group A examination against Atlético de Madrid in Munich.

Hansi Flick's side made history in 2019/20, winning every game en route to claiming their sixth European Cup with a final defeat of Paris Saint-Germain – the first team to lift the trophy with a perfect record of victories. The defeat of Paris was Bayern's 11th straight Uefa Champions League success, setting a new record.

Atlético are still searching for their first European Cup but their recent performances in the competition suggest they will be obdurate first opponents – although Diego Simeone's side have lost on their last two visits to Germany.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The sides each recorded a 1-0 win when they last met, in the 2016/17 group stage. Yannick Carrasco scored the only goal in Madrid, Robert Lewandowski doing likewise in Munich – the latter result, on Matchday 6, prevented Atleti winning all six games in the section, although they still finished three points ahead of runners-up Bayern.

Eventual runners-up Atlético overcame Bayern on away goals in the 2015/16 semifinal with the help of a 1-0 home success, Saúl Ñíguez the scorer. Bayern won the return 2-1, Xabi Alonso and Lewandowski scoring either side of Antoine Griezmann on a night when Thomas Müller (Bayern) and Fernando Torres (Atlético) both had penalties saved.

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 to claim their first European Cup.

FORM GUIDE

Bayern

Bayern claimed their sixth European Cup in 2019/20, and third in the Uefa Champions League era, with a 1-0 final defeat of Paris in Lisbon.

That 11-match winning run surpassed the record mark they set between April and November 2013 and which Real Madrid matched between April 2014 and February 2015. Bayern were the first unbeaten champions since Manchester United in 2007/08.

The Munich club became only the seventh team – and first from Germany – to win all six games in the Uefa Champions League group stage last season, recording big wins at Tottenham (7-2) – in which Serge Gnabry scored four goals – and Crvena zvezda (6-0) – in which Robert Lewandowski scored four times – at 16 minutes the fastest quadruple in Uefa Champions League history.

Bayern finished as top scorers in the 2019/20 group stage with 24 goals – one short of Paris's competition record, set in 2017/18.

The German champions then eased through the knockout stages, beating Chelsea in the round of 16 (3-0 a, 4-1 h) before wins in one-off ties against Barcelona (8-2) – the first time Bayern had scored eight goals in a Uefa Champions League match – and Lyon (3-0) in Lisbon.

Kingsley Coman's final winner was Bayern's 500th goal in the Uefa Champions League, group stage to final; only Real Madrid (567) and Barcelona (517) have reached that mark.

With 43 goals last term, Bayern set a new club record for a Uefa Champions League campaign, surpassing the mark of 33 set in 2014/15, and was the highest recorded by any club since the competition changed format in 2003/04. The all-time record for a single campaign is the 45 scored by Barcelona in 1999/2000 – though they played 16 matches in the competition that season compared to Bayern's 11 in 2019/20.

Lewandowski finished as the top scorer in the 2019/20 Uefa Champions League with 15 goals, two shy of Cristiano Ronaldo's competition record of 17 for Real Madrid in 2013/14.

This is Bayern's 24th Uefa Champions League group campaign, fewer only than Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 25). They have won their section 16 times, including in each of the last two seasons. Only Barcelona have done so more often (21).

Champions of Germany for a record 30th time last season – with a landmark eighth successive Bundesliga title – Bayern have reached the Uefa Champions League quarterfinals or better in eight of the last nine seasons, the exception their defeat by eventual champions Liverpool in the 2018/19 round of 16.

Bayern have already won European silverware this season, defeating Uefa Europa League winners Sevilla 2-1 after extra time in the Uefa Super Cup in Budapest on 24 September thanks to goals from Leon Goretzka (34) and Javi Martínez (104).

That made it 12 successive wins in Uefa competition for Bayern, whose sole loss in their last 21 European outings is the 3-1 home defeat by Liverpool in the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League round of 16 second leg (W16 D4).

Despite those wins against Barcelona and Sevilla, Bayern have recorded only three victories in their last eight matches against Spanish clubs (D2 L3).

Atlético

Third in Spain in 2019/20, this is Atlético's 11th Uefa Champions League group campaign and eighth in a row; all but two of the previous ten have extended into the knockout stages.

Last season, Simeone's side finished second in their section behind Juventus, picking up ten points. Their two defeats both came away, at Bayer Leverkusen (1-2) and Juve (0-1), with the other game a 2-0 victory at Lokomotiv Moskva. Atleti were unbeaten at home in the group stage, collecting two wins and a draw.

Atlético then ousted holders Liverpool in impressive style in the round of 16 (1-0 h, 3-2 a aet) but came up short against Leipzig in the quarterfinals in Lisbon, going down 2-1.

Atlético's overall record against German clubs is W21 D7 L17, although last season's loss at Leverkusen and in the quarterfinal against Leipzig made it six defeats in their last seven matches against Bundesliga clubs outside Spain.

The Madrid club have reached the quarterfinals or better in five of their last seven Uefa Champions League campaigns – all under coach Simeone.

Despite defeats in three of their last six European fixtures, Atlético have lost only six of their last 31 matches in continental competition (W19 D6).

The Rojiblancos have reached two Uefa Champions League and three Uefa Europa League finals in the last 11 seasons.

LINKS AND TRIVIA

Lucas Hernández came through the Atlético youth system having joined the club in 2007. He broke into the first team seven years later and went on to make 67 Liga appearances, winning the Uefa Europa League and Uefa Super Cup in 2018, before joining Bayern the following year.

• Has also played in Spain:

Javi Martínez (Athletic Club 2006-12)

• Martínez was in the Athletic team beaten 3-0 by Atlético in the 2012 Uefa Europa League final.

• International teammates:

Lucas Hernández, Benjamin Pavard, Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso & Thomas Lemar (France)

LATEST NEWS

Bayern

• Summer transfers

In: Leroy Sané (Manchester City), Marc Roca (Espanyol), Alexander Nübel (Schalke), Tanguy Nianzou* (Paris), Douglas Costa (Juventus, loan), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Paris), Bouna Sarr (Marseille)

*Not in Uefa Champions League squad

Out: Thiago Alcántara (Liverpool), Sven Ulreich (Hamburg), Lars Lukas Mai (Darmstadt, loan), Christian Früchtl (Nürnberg, loan), Mickaël Cuisance (Marseille, loan)

Thomas Müller has played 115 matches in the Uefa Champions League, group stage to final; he is now the outright German record holder ahead of Philipp Lahm (112). Manuel Neuer, Bayern's only ever-present starter in the last European campaign, has made 111 appearances.

In 2020 Bayern have prevailed in 30 of their 32 matches. After a 0-0 draw at home to Leipzig on 9 February, they were on a run of 23 successive competitive wins – a new German record – and 32 matches without defeat until a 4-1 loss at Hoffenheim on 27 September.

Bayern have failed to score in just one game in 2020 – that goalless draw against Leipzig.

Bayern's first competitive match of 2020/21 was an 8-0 win against Schalke on 18 September, Serge Gnabry scoring three times in what was the opening fixture of the Bundesliga season.

New signing Sané scored on his Bayern debut against former club Schalke, a game in which Jamal Musiala became Bayern's youngest ever Bundesliga scorer aged 17 years 205 days.

Six days later Bayern won the Uefa Super Cup for the second time. In the 2-1 victory against Sevilla in Budapest Javi Martínez scored the winner in extra time.

On 30 September Bayern prevailed 3-2 in the German Super Cup against Dortmund, Joshua Kimmich providing the late winner.

Four days later Robert Lewandowski scored all four goals – the last one a penalty in added time – in a 4-3 win against Hertha Berlin.

Lewandowski and Müller both scored twice in Saturday's 4-1 win at Arminia Bielefeld.

Lewandowski has scored 243 league goals for Dortmund and Bayern combined, the third highest Bundesliga total of all time. Saturday's goals agaisnt Arminia mean he has scored against all 18 current Bundesliga sides, including Bayern.

Choupo-Moting scored twice in a 3-0 win in the first round of the German Cup at fifth tier Düren on 15 October.

Corentin Tolisso scored for France in a 7-1 friendly win against Ukraine on 7 October.

On 10 October Leon Goretzka was on target for Germany in a 2-1 Uefa Nations League win in Ukraine.

Three days later Gnabry scored Germany's final goal in a 3-3 Uefa Nations League draw against Switzerland.

On 14 October Lewandowski scored twice for Poland in a 3-0 Uefa Nations League win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking his all-time international tally to 63.

Malik Tillman has been sidelined by a knee injury since 2 October.

Sané has been out since the Hoffenheim game due to a knee injury but is back in light training.

Atlético Madrid

• Summer transfers

In: Luis Suárez (Barcelona), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian), Ivo Grbic (Lokomotiva Zagreb), Lucas Torreira (Arsenal,

loan)

Out: Álvaro Morata (Juventus, loan), Antonio Adán (Sporting CP), Caio Henrique (Monaco, loan), Santiago Arias (Leverkusen, loan), Rodrigo Riquelme (Bournemouth, loan), Javier Montero (Besiktas, loan), Nicolás Schiappacasse (Sassuolo), Darío Poveda (Getafe, loan), Nikola Kalinic (Hellas Verona), Víctor Mollejo (Getafe, loan), Nehuén Pérez (Granada, loan), Thomas Partey (Arsenal)

Atlético started their Liga campaign with a 6-1 victory at home to Granada, in which debutant Suárez scored twice, on 27 September.

Diego Simeone's side were subsequently held to two goalless draws, at Huesca and at home to Villarreal, before a 2-0 victory at Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Luis Suárez scored his 150th Liga goal on Saturday, in his 196th match in the competition. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (140 matches) has been faster to that mark in the 21st century.

The victory at Celta was Simeone's 200th Liga win as Atlético coach, in his 330th match. He is the second Liga boss to reach that landmark with one club, after former Real Madrid coach Miguel Muñoz (257 matches).

Kieran Trippier became the 123rd player to captain England in a 3-0 friendly victory over Wales on 8 October. Three days later, he started a 2-1 Uefa Nations League victory against Belgium in which club-mate Yannick Carrasco, a scorer for Atlético on Saturday, also featured.

Suárez's penalty helped Uruguay to a 2-1 victory against Chile in 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying on 8 October. Fivedays later, he converted two more spot kicks in a 4-2 defeat away to Ecuador.

Šime Vrsaljko – who is not in Atlético's Uefa Champions League squad – is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

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