Chelsea go into the Champions League and Club World Cup champions but even then the bookies have Bayern Munich as the firm favourites in this opening tie
The marquee fixture of Champions League matchweek one sees 2012 final adversaries Bayern Munich and Chelsea face off once again, this time in a highly anticipated group stage encounter at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday. Vincent Kompany’s Bayern have started the new season in dominant fashion, while Chelsea remain unbeaten but have been held to two draws in London derbies in the Premier League.
Bayern’s quest for another European crown has stretched on longer than their fans would like, with their last Champions League triumph coming behind closed doors against Paris Saint-Germain in 2020. Since then, the German giants have endured four quarter-final exits and one semi-final defeat in the past five years. While Chelsea avenged their 2012 final loss to Bayern by defeating them in this year’s Club World Cup, the Bavarians have continued their domestic dominance, cruising to the 2024-25 Bundesliga title.
Kompany’s side have made a flawless start to the campaign, winning all five of their matches so far and already lifting the German Super Cup. Their perfect Bundesliga run continued with a resounding 5-0 victory over Hamburg on Saturday. Bayern’s home form in the Champions League group stage has been formidable—they went unbeaten at the Allianz Arena during last season’s league phase and are currently on a remarkable 34-game unbeaten streak in Champions League group matches on home soil. The last time Bayern lost a group stage game at the Allianz Arena was back in December 2013, when Kompany was an unused substitute for Manchester City, who triumphed 3-2 in Munich.
Adding to Chelsea’s challenge, Bayern have won their opening Champions League match in each of the last 22 seasons, last failing to do so against Deportivo la Coruna in 2002. While Bayern have been a constant presence in the competition throughout the 21st century, Chelsea are returning to Europe’s elite after a two-year absence, but they do so as reigning Club World Cup champions and fresh off a historic Conference League triumph over Real Betis. That victory made the Blues the first club to win every major UEFA club competition, joining their previous Champions League, Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup successes.
Chelsea’s place in this season’s Champions League was only secured on the final day of the Premier League, as a crucial win over Nottingham Forest clinched their spot in the 2025-26 tournament. However, Enzo Maresca’s men have encountered early frustrations in domestic action, drawing two of their four London derbies, including a 2-2 stalemate with Brentford after conceding from another trademark long throw.
While Chelsea will always cherish their famous 2012 triumph in Munich, Bayern have since turned the tables, winning each of their last three meetings with the Blues—including a comprehensive 7-1 aggregate victory in the 2019-20 Champions League last 16.