Who is Bayern Munich: Profiling AEK’s Champions League opponents

So far, AEK Athens have endured a difficult 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League group stage campaign, but it’s about to get even tougher against the might of Bayern Munich in the third match. AGONAsport profiles the Germans.

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BACKGROUND

Bayern Munich need no introduction. Rightly considered European giants, the Germans have enjoyed overwhelming success on the domestic and continental stage throughout their 118 year existence, becoming one of the world’s biggest sporting organisations in the process. A hugely popular club, Bayern boast a large army of supporters across the entire world, standing out with their glittering trophy cabinet and excellent performances on the pitch.

You can liken Bayern to a well-oiled machine. In Germany, Bayern have impressively won the past six Bundesliga championships in a row, breezing past their opponents with ease. Overall, the Bavarian team have won 28 league titles, something which is a national record. Alongside the Bundesliga, Bayern have tasted glory in the German Cup on 18 occasions while also claiming seven German Super Cups and six League Cups.

Internationally, Bayern have lifted the European Cup five teams, winning the UEFA Champions League in 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001 and most recently in 2013. In the 2012/2013 showpiece match at Wembley, it looked as though Bayern’s duel against fellow Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund was going to extra time, but Arjen Robben netted the crucial goal in stoppage time to seal a dramatic 2:1 triumph.

Since that victory in 2013, they’ve reached four Champions League semi-finals, however they suffered heartbreak at the hands of Real Madrid (2014, 2018), Barcelona (2015) and Atletico Madrid (2016).

In the 2017/2018 campaign, the Munich based club comfortably reigned supreme in the Bundesliga, finishing a whopping 21 points ahead of second place Schalke 04. However, they lost 1:3 to Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Cup final, and came up short 3:4 on aggregate against Real Madrid in the last four of the Champions League.

Full name: Fußball-Club Bayern München e.V.

Founded: February 27, 1900

President: Uli Hoeness

Manager: Niko Kovac

Stadium: Allianz Arena (Capacity 75,000)

Major titles won: 28 Bundesliga championships, 18 German Cups, 7 German Super Cups, 6 German League Cups, 5 UEFA Champions Leagues, 1 UEFA Cup, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup

HEAD COACH

Born in Berlin, 47-year old Niko Kovac decided to represent Croatia through his family heritage in his playing days, making 83 appearances and scoring 14 goals for the national team. At club level, Kovac starred for Hertha Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg, Bayern Munich and Red Bull Salzburg in a career which lasted 29 years. He hung up his boots after the 2008/2009 Austrian Bundesliga season.

When he turned his hand to coaching in 209, Kovac was handed a job in the Red Bull Salzburg academy set-up, before he was the head coach of Croatia U21, the senior Croatian national side and Eintracht Frankfurt. In the summer, he was appointed the new boss of Bayern Munich, immediately winning the German Super Cup. Kovac is regarded as a coach with plenty of potential and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the intense pressure in Munich.

KEY PLAYERS

32-year old Manuel Neuer has long been touted as the world’s best goalkeeper. A German 2014 FIFA World Cup winner, Neuer even created a new style of play with his ‘sweeper-keeper’ tactics, often sprinting out from his goal to hack the ball out of danger. Back in 2004, he started out as a professional with hometown team Schalke 04, steering them to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2011 in his final season at the club.

In Munich, Neuer has won every competition possible while contributing with headline saves and his unique way of playing the game. It takes a perfect shot to leave him powerless and the AEK forwards will have to conjure up a bit of magic at the Olympic Stadium.

It would be hard to imagine this Bayern side without academy product Thomas Muller. 10 years ago, the attacker gradually made an impression when given opportunities with the seniors, holding down a spot with the first team on a regular basis in the 2009/2010 campaign. Over the seasons, Muller has transformed into a crucial cog of the Bayern engine, popping up with decisive goals and always competing with passion. In 293 matches, the experienced 29-year old has scored 106 goals, assisting the team in winning an incredible 19 separate competitions. Muller also has 98 games and 38 goals for the German national team under his belt.

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski is ridiculously prolific. One of the most feared forwards on the planet, 30-year old Lewandowski can score with the smallest of chances, hitting the target practically every time when an opportunity comes his way. In September 2015, the Pole scored an amazing five goals in nine minutes in a Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg, and he also once notched four in a Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid for Borussia Dortmund. Lewandowski almost single handedly fired Poland to the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the hitman has grabbed 55 markers in 101 games with the country.

2018/2019 SEASON SO FAR

It must be said that Bayern have encountered problems at the start of the 2018/2019 season. In the Bundesliga, Bayern dropped two shock defeats against Hertha Berlin (0:2) and Borussia Monchengladbach (0:3), consequently languishing in third place and trailing leaders Dortmund by four points. Bayern claimed the German Super Cup with a 5:0 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt 5:0.

On the first matchday of the Champions League, they comfortably eased past Benfica 2:0 in Lisbon, but they could only draw 1:1 against Ajax at the Allianz Arena.

HISTORY AGAINST GREEK CLUBS

In nine matches against Greek opposition in competitive matches, Bayern are undefeated, tallying seven wins, two draws and a positive goal difference of +17 (20-3). In the 1967/1968 European Cup Winners’ Cup, they beat Panathinaikos 5:0 and 2:1, then brushing off the challenge of Olympiacos 7:2 on aggregate in the Last 16 of the 1980/1981 European Cup.

Bayern inflicted defeat on PAOK 9:8 on penalties in the UEFA Cup Last 16 after the tie finished 0:0. In the group stages of the 2007/2008 UEFA Cup, Bayern destroyed Aris Thessaloniki 6:0 at home, and the Bavarians defeated Olympiacos 4:0 and 3:0 in the 2015/2016 UEFA Champions League.

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sdna.gr

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