Bayern wants to continue record series at the start

Full focus on new records: FC Bayern will continue its impressive record series at the start of the new Champions League. The Munich team has won its opening match in each of the last 20 seasons of the premier class. The goal difference is 51:5.

“A win is always important, especially in the opening game,” emphasised Joshua Kimmich before the opening match on Tuesday (from 9 p.m./DAZN and in the live ticker) against Dinamo Zagreb. FC Bayern have “always made good starts in the past, but that doesn’t mean anything for Tuesday.” “We have to go out there and show that as a team,” demands striker Harry Kane on the club’s website.

The last defeat for Bayern in the first round of the Champions League was in 2002, when they lost 2:3 to Deportivo La Coruna. A defeat with consequences: After that, the Munich team was eliminated in the preliminary round for the first and only time so far.

A record also means 40 consecutive unbeaten Champions League group matches (36 wins, 4 draws). The last defeat was a 3-0 loss to Paris in September 2017. The Munich team also won 17 consecutive group matches before starting the fifth matchday with a 0-0 draw against Copenhagen.

This season, however, the classic group phase no longer exists. The new format with 36 instead of 32 teams includes a league phase in which Bayern initially plays against eight different teams. “Even though we haven’t played the format yet, every game feels like it counts a little more,” said Kimmich: “It’s not like in the past, where you’re through with a good start.”

Bayern will play against Zagreb, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica Lisbon, Slovan Bratislava (all home), Barcelona, ​​Feyenoord Rotterdam, Aston Villa and Shakhtar Donetsk (away) until the end of January. To qualify directly for the round of 16, they must finish in the top eight places in the overall table. Otherwise, they face the playoffs.

With Sports Information Service (SID)