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.