Group A of the 2023/24 Uefa Champions League kicks off with a meeting between two of Europe's most famous clubs as Bayern München welcome Manchester United to Germany.
The teams have nine European Cups between them – Bayern boasting six to United's three – although it is the German side who have fared better in the competition in recent years, claiming their most recent title in 2020; United were last victorious in 2008.
The second of United's triumphs came at Bayern's expense, in perhaps the most dramatic conclusion to a European Cup final, Alex Ferguson's side scoring twice in added time to snatch a 2-1 victory at the Camp Nou.
Bayern have progressed from their Champions League section in each of the past 15 seasons; by contrast, United have featured in the knockout rounds only once in the past four campaigns.
Galatasaray and Copenhagen are also in Group A.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
11 matches
4 Bayern wins
2 Man United win
5 draws
16 Bayern goals
13 Man United goals
Bayern were victorious in their last meeting against United, winning 4-2 on aggregate in the 2013/14 quarterfinals.
The first leg in Manchester finished 1-1, Nemanja Vidic's 58th-minute opener for David Moyes's United cancelled out nine minutes later by Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Holders Bayern, coached by Pep Guardiola, fell behind to Patrice Evra's 57th-minute thunderbolt in Munich but were level within two minutes through Mario Mandžukic before goals from Thomas Müller (68) and Arjen Robben (76) sealed an aggregate victory.
Bayern also came out on top when the sides met at the same stage in 2009/10. In the first leg, Louis van Gaal's men came from behind to win 2-1 as Franck Ribéry (77) and Ivica Olic (90+2) overturned a first-minute goal by Wayne Rooney.
United raced into a 3-0 lead in the second leg – Darron Gibson (4) and Nani (7, 41) scoring – but were edged out on away goals after Olic (43) and Robben (74) hit back for Bayern. The home side played the last 40 minutes with 10 men after Rafael's red card.
Bayern also prevailed in the clubs' 2000/01 quarterfinal, winning 1-0 at Old Trafford on 3 April 2001 thanks to Paulo Sérgio's 86th-minute goal.
They ran out 3-1 aggregate winners, with Giovane Elber (5) and Mehmet Scholl (39) striking in the second leg before Ryan Giggs (49) pulled a goal back.
That was a measure of revenge for Bayern's 1999 final defeat in Barcelona when Mario Basler gave them a sixth-minute lead that they held until added time when United substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær so famously turned the game on its head.
Bayern are unbeaten in five previous home games against United, with a record of W3 D2 L0. The two drawn games came in the 1998/99 group stage (2-2) and the 2001/02 second group stage (1-1).
#FCBayern x @ManUtd
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) September 19, 2023
A special bond 🔴 #FCBMUN pic.twitter.com/5Qt6k5v2ze
FORM GUIDE
Bayern
Record v English clubs: W25 D18 L16 F106 A75
At home v English clubs: W16 D7 L4
Bayern's 2022/23 European campaign was ended by United's neighbours Manchester City, who were 4-1 aggregate winners in their Champions League quarterfinal.
The 1-1 second-leg draw against City in Munich means Bayern have lost only one of their last nine home matches against English clubs in Germany, winning six; the sole defeat in that sequence was a 3-1 loss to Liverpool in the 2018/19 round of 16 second leg.
That 2019 defeat by Liverpool ended Bayern's four-match winning run at home to Premier League clubs. Prior to that they had not prevailed in four matches in Bavaria, including a defeat on penalties by Chelsea in the 2012 final.
A 3-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020/21 quarterfinal first leg ended Bayern's run of eight successive home Uefa Champions League victories and is one of only three of their last 19 matches in the competition in Munich they have not won. The others were 1-1 second-leg draws against Villarreal and Manchester City in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 quarterfinals respectively, both results spelling elimination from the competition.
Bayern have featured in the Champions League group stage in every season since 2008/09, reaching the knockout rounds in each one of those campaigns.
Overall, this is Bayern's 27th campaign in the Champions League proper, level with Porto and fewer only than Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 28).
In 2022/23, under Julian Nagelsmann, the Munich club became the first team to win all six games in the group stage on three occasions. They finished ahead of Inter Milan, Barcelona and Viktoria Plzen in Group C before ousting Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 (1-0 a, 2-0 h) only, with Thomas Tuchel having succeeded Nagelsmann, to come up short against eventual champions Manchester City in the quarterfinals (0-3 a, 1-1 h).
Tuchel's team responded by winning Bayern's 11th successive Bundesliga title, pipping Borussia Dortmund on the final day of the season.
The six-time European champions – who claimed their fifth European Cup in 2013 at Wembley, the venue for this season's final – have been eliminated in the last eight in the last three seasons but have reached the quarterfinals or better in 11 of their last 12 Champions League campaigns, the exception their last-16 elimination by Liverpool in 2018/19.
Manchester United
Record v German clubs: W16 D8 L9 F62 A39
Away v German clubs: W5 D4 L7
United's last away game against a German club brought a 3-2 defeat at Leipzig on Matchday 6 of the 2020/21 Champions League, a result that sent the Bundesliga side into the round of 16 at their expense.
That made it three successive away losses in Germany for United after three wins in their previous four games.
This is United's 25th appearance in the Champions League group stage – more than any other English side and three behind the competition record of 28 held jointly by Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The Red Devils last featured in 2021/22, when they finished first in their section ahead of Villarreal, Atalanta and Young Boys only to lose 2-1 on aggregate to Atlético de Madrid in the round of 16.
Erik ten Hag's side took part in the Uefa Europa League in 2022/23, finishing second in their section behind Real Sociedad and then beating Barcelona (2-2 a, 2-1 h) and Real Betis (4-1 h, 1-0 a) only to be eliminated in the quarterfinals by another Spanish side, eventual winners Sevilla (2-2 h, 0-3 a).
The defeat at Sevilla ended United's eight-match unbeaten run in European away games (W5 D3); however, a 2-0 win at Villarreal on Matchday 5 in 2020/21 is their only success in their last six away Champions League matches (D2 L3).
European champions in 1968 – winning at Wembley, the venue for this season's final – 1999 and 2008, United were also Champions League runners-up to Barcelona in both 2009 and 2011, the latter final also held at Wembley.
The Manchester club were third in the Premier League in 2022/23, 14 points behind champions Manchester City, who also beat their local rivals 2-1 in the FA Cup final.
LINKS AND TRIVIA
Harry Kane joined Bayern in the summer from Tottenham, having become the club's record goalscorer with 280 goals in 435 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Kane's record against United with Tottenham was W6 D3 L10; he scored five goals in those 19 games, including two in Spurs' 6-1 win at Old Trafford on 4 October 2020.
HAVE ALSO PLAYED IN ENGLAND:
Serge Gnabry (Arsenal 2011–16, West Brom 2015/16 loan)
Leroy Sané (Manchester City 2016–20)
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Stoke 2017/18)
Sané's record against United with Manchester City was W4 D1 L2; his only goal came in a 2-0 Premier League win at Old Trafford on 24 April 2019.
Having moved to England at the age of seven, Jamal Musiala was in the Southampton academy in 2010/11 before moving to Chelsea, where he stayed until signing for Bayern in 2019.
INTERNATIONAL TEAMMATES:
Harry Kane & Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw (England)
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting & André Onana (Cameroon)
Raphaël Guerreiro & Diogo Dalot (Portugal)
Noussair Mazraoui & Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
HAVE PLAYED TOGETHER:
Matthijs de Ligt & André Onana, Donny van de Beek (Ajax 2017–19)
Harry Kane & Sergio Reguilón (Tottenham 2020–22)
Harry Kane & Christian Eriksen (Tottenham 2013–20)
Kane and Eriksen were both key figures in the Spurs side that reached the Champions League final in 2019.
Erik ten Hag was coach of Matthijs de Ligt at Ajax from 2017 to 2019.
LATEST NEWS
Bayern
Summer signings
In: Konrad Laimer (Leipzig), Raphaël Guerreiro (Dortmund), Min-jae Kim (Napoli), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Daniel Peretz (Maccabi Tel-Aviv)
Out: Daley Blind (Girona), Lucas Hernández (Paris Saint-Germain), Marcel Sabitzer (Dortmund), Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart, loan), Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven, loan), Johannes Schenk (Preussen Münster, loan), Yann Sommer (Inter), Josip Stanišic (Leverkusen, loan), Gabriel Vidovic (Dinamo Zagreb, loan), Benjamin Pavard (Inter), Paul Wanner (Elversberg, loan), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Bayern dropped points for the first time this season as they were held 2-2 by Bayer Leverkusen – who had also won their first three matches – in Munich on Friday despite leading twice. Harry Kane gave them an early lead and Leon Goretzka made it 2-1 four minutes from time, but Bayern conceded a penalty equaliser four minutes into added time.
Kane has scored four goals in his first four Bundesliga appearances, the first Bayern player to do so since Miroslav Klose in 2007. His goal on Friday was the 300th of his career on his 505th appearance.
Thomas Tuchel's side had won their first three Bundesliga games of the season.
On 18 August Bayern kicked off the new season with a 4-0 win in Bremen, Leroy Sané scoring twice. Kane marked his full Bayern debut with the assist for Sané's opener and a goal of his own.
Nine days later Kane was on target twice in a 3-1 home win against Augsburg.
On 2 September Mathys Tel's late goal secured a 2-1 success in Mönchengladbach, after Sané had scored the equaliser.
Bayern had lost 3-0 at home to Leipzig in the German Super Cup on 12 August.
Sané scored Germany's goal in a 4-1 friendly home defeat against Japan on 9 September.
The Bayern winger was also on target three days later as Germany beat France 2-1 in another friendly. Thomas Müller scored the other German goal.
The same day, Kane struck for England in a 3-1 friendly win in Scotland.
Joshua Kimmich missed the match against France because of muscular problems but started on Friday.
On 23 August Jamal Musiala suffered a hamstring injury in training, and subsequently withdrew from the German national team due to back problems, returning as a substitute for Bayern on Friday.
New signing Guerreiro, who has been sidelined since 22 July with a calf injury, is back in training.
Manuel Neuer has been out since 9 December 2022 because of a lower leg fracture that required surgery but has also returned to training.
On 23 August Tom Hülsmann signed his first professional contract until 2026 – Tarek Buchmann had done the same in June.
Manchester United
Summer signings
In: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Jonny Evans (Leicester), André Onana (Inter), Rasmus Højlund (Atalanta), Altay Bayindir (Fenerbahçe), Sergio Reguilón (Tottenham, loan), Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina, loan)
Out: David de Gea (released), Axel Tuanzebe (released), Phil Jones (released), Alex Telles (Al-Nassr), Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest), Zidane Iqbal (Utrecht), Ethan Laird (Birmingham), Ethan Galbraith (Leyton Orient), Di'Shon Bernard (released), Charlie Savage (Reading), Fred (Fenerbahçe), Brandon Williams (Ipswich, loan), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Teden Mengi (Luton), Mason Greenwood (Getafe, loan), Álvaro Fernandez (Granada, loan), Eric Bailly (Besiktas)
On Saturday United went down 3-1 at home to Brighton, their third league defeat already this season and one that ended a 20-match unbeaten run in the Premier League at Old Trafford (W17 D3) since a 2-1 loss to the same opponents in their first fixture of 2022/23.
United have lost three of their first five league games for the first time since 1989/90.
Erik ten Hag's team have conceded at least twice in each of their last four Premier League games, equalling United's longest run in the competition from 2001.
United had won both previous home Premier League games, beating Wolverhampton Wanders (1-0) and, in a game in which they recovered from 0-2 down, Nottingham Forest. They have lost both away, going down 2-0 at Tottenham and 3-1 at Arsenal.
A 1-0 win at Bournemouth on the penultimate weekend of last season's Premier League is United's only victory in their last seven away games in all competitions, a run that includes five defeats.
United's six goals this season have all been scored by different players. Hannibal Mejbri got his first for the club on Saturday.
Bruno Fernandes scored Portugal's only goal in a 1-0 Uefa Euro 2024 qualifying win in Slovakia on 8 September and also found the net three days later in a national record 9-0 victory against Luxembourg, when he provided three assists.
Scott McTominay scored one goal and set up another as Scotland won 3-0 in Cyprus in Euro 2024 qualifying on 8 September.
Substitute Harry Maguire's own goal did not prevent England winning their 12 September friendly in Scotland 3-1.
Jonny Evans scored at both ends as Northern Ireland lost 4-2 in Slovenia on 7 September.
The same day, Christian Eriksen provided two assists and also scored himself in Denmark's 4-0 win against San Marino in Copenhagen.
Luke Shaw (muscle) and Mount (thigh) have both been out since the defeat at Tottenham on 19 August.
Centre-backs Raphaël Varane (out since 26 August, unspecified) and Lisandro Martínez (3 September, ankle) have also been sidelined, although the latter returned on Saturday.
Tyrell Malacia has not played this season due to a knee injury.
Sofyan Amrabat, who is still to play this season, suffered a back injury on international duty.