UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Bayern hungry for more

uefa.com gives its mid-term report on UEFA Champions League contenders FC Bayern München.

  • Each day until 31 December uefa.com will assess the fortunes of a UEFA Champions League participant. Today we look at FC Bayern München.
  • Victory for FC Bayern München in the 2001 Champions League final was the culmination of an incredible three-year run of success in the tournament.

    Fighting spirit
    The German champions bounced back from the heartache of losing to Manchester United FC in the dying seconds of the 1999 final with a semi-final place the following year, only to go out to eventual winners Real Madrid CF. But in 2001 they well and truly laid their Champions League ghosts to rest beating United and Madrid en route to a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win over Valencia CF in the final in the Giuseppe Meazza stadium.

    Huge profits
    Their playing prowess in recent seasons has taken Bayern to first in the all-time Champions League rankings and their success has had further spin-offs. Bayern announced a record turnover of €181m in 2001 with profits up 200 per cent. The primary source of income was the Champions League, which accounted for €56.3m.

    Tokyo win
    Ottmar Hitzfeld's side already have one piece of silverware on the shelf this season. They were crowned inter-continental champions following a 1-0 win against Club Atlético Boca Juniors in the Toyota Cup in Tokyo. However, they missed out in the in the UEFA Super Cup, losing 3-2 to Liverpool. As well as an unprecedented second successive Champions League title, Bayern are also chasing a record-breaking four 1. Bundesliga titles in a row.

  • FIRST STAGE: Flying start
  • Despite long-term injuries to captain Stefan Effenberg and midfield playmaker Mehmet Scholl, Bayern made a flying start to the defence of their title and remain the only side unbeaten in this year's competition.

    Effective football
    Playing effective if unspectacular football, the Champions League holders made light work of their rivals in Group H of the first stage, failing to win just two of their six qualifying games as they breezed through as group winners. Highlights included a convincing 5-1 victory at home to FC Spartak Moscow and a 1-0 win at AC Sparta Praha, the Czech side's only defeat in the group.

  • SECOND STAGE: Old foes reunited
  • Some would say it would not be a true Champions League competition if there were no confrontation between Manchester United and Bayern. These two great rivals kicked off Group A at the Olympiastadion where Ruud van Nistelrooij gave United the lead, but Paulo Sergio's late equaliser rescued a point for Bayern. A 1-0 win at FC Nantes Atlantique in the final match before the winter break put Hitzfeld's side firmly on track to qualify for the quarter-finals.

  • REMAINING GAMES: United await
  • With Nantes out the way, Bayern face tough trips to Manchester United and Boavista FC, but they will be confident of taking maximum points from their remaining home matches against the two less fancied sides in the group.

  • THE COACH: Ottmar Hitzfeld
  • Hitzfeld wrote his name into the football history books as the first manager to lead two different clubs to Champions League glory. The 52-year-old was also in charge of the BV Borussia Dortmund side that beat Juventus FC 3-1 in the 1997 final. Hitzfeld was a huge success at Dortmund, challenging Bayern's supremacy in German football and beating them to the title in 1995 and '96.

    Disciplined approach
    Bayern appointed the former Grasshopper-Club coach in the summer of 1998 and he quickly stamped his disciplined, authoritarian approach on the club. His methods paid dividends as Bayern won the league in his first season and held on to the title for the next two years.

  • THE PLAYER: Giovane Elber
  • Brazilian striker Elber, who lies in joint-second place in the Champions League goalscoring chart, has spearheaded his side's assault on a second successive title. He was on fire in the first group stage, scoring six goals in four appearances, including two in each of his side's games with Spartak Moscow.

    Crucial goals
    Elber has established himself as one of Europe's most potent strikers and his goals were an integral feature of last season's Champions League triumph. The former Milan AC forward scored the goal that sealed United's fate in the quarter-finals and was also on target in both legs against Madrid in the semi-finals. Not just a great finisher, Elber's quick feet and decisive passing have made him an ideal foil for the likes of Carsten Jancker, Paulo Sergio and Claudio Pizarro.

  • DOMESTIC FORM: Rough patch
  • Bayern quickly emerged as the early 1. Bundesliga pacesetters but they have hit a rough patch lately, slipping to fourth place after not winning for five games- a run that has included two defeats. Leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen are six points ahead of Bayern after 16 games.

    Selected for you