Preview

December 10, Gelsenkirchen, Arena AufSchalke, 22:00
Live: Megogo

History and path to the UCL

Founded in 1900, FC Bayern Munchen is the most successful club in German football, having won the German Championship 33 times, 20 German Cups and 10 national Super Cups. In addition, the Reds have won the UEFA Champions League six times (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013, 2020), the Cup Winners' Cup once (1967), the UEFA Cup once (1996), the UEFA Super Cup twice (2013, 2020), the Intercontinental Cup twice (1976, 2001), and the Club World Cup twice (2013, 2020). The team dominated the German Bundesliga since 2013, winning 11 titles in a row. However, in the 2023/24 season, they failed on all fronts and were left without any trophies at all, finishing in 3rd spot in the league. Despite this, their league position secured them direct entry into the main round of the Champions League.

Start of the 2024/25 season

In the new season, Bayern have returned to their usual dominance in the domestic league, topping the Bundesliga standings with 10 wins, 3 draws and 33 points from 13 rounds (goal difference: 41-10). Last Saturday, the Bavarians beat Heidenheim at home (4-2) through goals from Upamecano and Goretzka and a brace from Musiala. In the Champions League, the Munich-based side began with a spectacular 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb but suffered two away defeats to Aston Villa (0-1) and Barcelona (1-4). They improved their position in the last two rounds by securing home victories over Benfica (1-0) and PSG (1-0). With 9 points, they currently sit in 13th spot in the Champions League table.

Squad and leaders

In the summer, 38-year-old Belgian Vincent Kompany, who previously managed Anderlecht (2019–2022) and English side Burnley (2022–2024), was appointed as Bayern head coach. The Munich side are approaching the match against Shakhtar amid an injury epidemic: today, the Rekordmeister will not be helped by the main goalkeeper and club legend Manuel Neuer, defenders Alphonso Davies, Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic, midfielders Joao Palhinha, Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman, as well as the main scorer Harry Kane, who has an incredible 20 goals and 9 assists in 19 matches this season. In addition to the Englishman, the top three most prolific players of the Reds are 21-year-old Jamal Musiala (12 goals and 4 assists) and 22-year-old Michael Olise (7 goals and 6 assists).

Head-to-head record

Shakhtar and Bayern locked horns once before in European competitions, when they faced each other in the 2014/15 Champions League Round of 16. In Lviv, the teams tied the score (0:0), and in the return leg in Munich, the hosts, playing with numerical advantage from the 3rd minute after sending-off in the Miners' squad, claimed a confident victory (7-0) and advanced to the next round.

The Shakhtar vs Bayern match will be officiated by the judging panel from Turkey: referee Umut Meler, assistants Kerem Ersoy and Serkan Olguncan, with Fedayi San as the video assistant referee.