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Story so far: FC Bayern München

Champions in 2013, FC Bayern München marched through to the last 16 by winning Group E with two games to spare, the highlight a stunning 7-1 victory at AS Roma.

Last season's 5-0 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid CF in the semi-finals did not sit well with club bosses in Bavaria and this term FC Bayern München hit back with a vengeance, winning their first four Group E matches to tie up top spot with two games to spare. Now Josep Guardiola and his star ensemble are setting their sights on what would be the next best thing to 2012's 'Finale dahoam' – an appearance in the 2015 Berlin showpiece on 6 June.

Story so far
Bayern set a hot pace from the start in the Bundesliga and carried that form into Europe with minimal fuss. The Münchner started with a 1-0 victory against Manchester City FC and followed that up with another 1-0 success, behind closed doors at PFC CSKA Moskva. A 7-1 hammering of AS Roma in the Eternal City was what really reminded the rest of the competition that the five-time champions are more than capable of adding to their European trophy cabinet once again.

Another win, 2-0, in the reverse fixture was followed by defeat at City, but Bayern had long since booked their place in the last 16 and capped the European calendar year off with a 3-0 triumph over CSKA.

©Getty Images

Pivotal moment
In a difficult section it was imperative that Bayern lay down a marker in their opening fixture against their biggest rivals for top spot, Manchester City. Having learned from their previous two group stage jousts with the German champions, City frustrated Bayern and their resolve looked as though it might bear fruit with the game still goalless heading into the final minute. However, Jérôme Boateng stepped up to fire a wonderful swerving volley into the far corner and defeat his former club, getting Bayern off to the ideal start.

Key player: Xabi Alonso
The former Real Madrid CF midfielder missed last season's final through suspension, but he has every chance of getting there again this term. Normally new arrivals require a settling in period, but the veteran schemer slotted straight into his new abode – crucial for Bayern, who were without injured trio Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thiago Alcántara and Javi Martínez and had lost Toni Kroos to Madrid. Alonso has been at the heart of Bayern's play, completing the second most passes of any player in the group stage (455) despite missing Bayern's final match.

Rising star: Juan Bernat
Another of Bayern's five-strong Spanish contingent, Bernat has flourished since arriving in Munich as a relative unknown from Valencia CF. He has made the left-back spot his own, become a full Spanish international and his consistently solid performances make it difficult to look beyond the 21-year-old as a fixture on Bayern's left-hand side for years to come.

©AFP/Getty Images

Number: 4,039
No team completed more passes in the group stage than Bayern (4,039), who enjoyed 64% of possession. For all those bemoaning 'possession without purpose', Bayern had a group stage high of 123 attempts on goal.

Quote
"We'll always play good football at the highest level because we have so much quality in our team, and I'm sure we'll improve on the few mistakes we are currently making, too."
The returning Bastian Schweinsteiger gives an ominous warning that the best is yet to come this season.

Next challenge: FC Shakhtar Donetsk
(Away: 17 February, home: 11 March)
Bayern and Shakhtar have never played a competitive fixture before. Bayern's ten previous matches against Ukrainian clubs have all been against FC Dynamo Kyiv, who beat the Munich team 3-0 over two legs to win the 1975 UEFA Super Cup.