Bayern München vs Bayer Leverkusen facts

Bundesliga leaders Bayern München take on reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen as the teams transfer their domestic rivalry to the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Vincent Kompany's Bayern needed a last-gasp Alphonso Davies goal to reach this stage for the 17th season in a row, the Canadian earning a 3-2 aggregate win against Celtic in the knockout phase play-offs. Leverkusen are in the knockout phase for the first time since 2017 and have not won any of their five ties at this stage – although they did progress straight to the last 16 having finished sixth in this season's league phase.

Previous meetings

This is the clubs' first European meeting.

They have faced each other in 92 Bundesliga games, most recently on 15 February – a 0-0 draw in Leverkusen.

Their first game this season ended in a 1-1 draw in Munich on 28 September. Leverkusen took the lead through Robert Andrich after 31 minutes, Aleksandar Pavlovic equalising eight minutes later.

Bayern have 52 wins in their 92 Bundesliga fixtures against Leverkusen, who have managed 20 victories.

Overall Bayern have scored 174 Bundesliga goals against Leverkusen, who have managed 109.

Bayern’s home record against Leverkusen in the Bundesliga is W33 D9 L4, their last defeat a 1-2 reverse on 30 November 2019.

The teams have met eight times in the German Cup, most recently on 3 December last year when Leverkusen substitute Nathan Tella scored the only goal in a last-16 meeting in Munich. That was only Leverkusen's second knockout win against Bayern, who have six victories.

This is the first all-German European tie since Schalke beat Borussia Mönchengladbach on away goals in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League round of 16 (1-1 h, 2-2 a).

This is only the sixth Champions League match between Bundesliga clubs – all involving Bayern.

Form guide

Bayern

European record vs German clubs: W8 D2 L5 F28 A24
Home European record vs German clubs: W5 D1 L1

Bayern have not played a German club in Europe since Arjen Robben's late goal earned a 2-1 win against Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley.

That made it three successive European wins against Bundesliga clubs for Bayern, who beat Kaiserslautern 6-0 on aggregate (2-0 h, 4-0 a) in the 1998/99 quarter-finals.

The Munich club had, however, lost 1-0 on aggregate to Dortmund in the 1997/98 quarter-finals.

Bayern's aggregate record in two-legged European ties against German clubs is W4 L3.

A 1-2 second-leg loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1977/78 UEFA Cup third round – completing a 1-6 aggregate defeat – is Bayern's sole home European reverse against German opponents; they scored 16 goals in their seven fixtures and have kept clean sheets in the last three.

Bayern's Champions League round of 16 record is W16 L4; they were 3-1 aggregate winners against Lazio last season (0-1 a, 3-0 h). A 2018/19 defeat by Liverpool (0-0 a, 1-3 h) is the only one of their last 13 ties at this stage they failed to win.

Beaten by Real Madrid in last season's semi-finals, six-time European champions Bayern have reached the quarter-finals or better in 12 of their last 13 Champions League campaigns.

Bayern have won 24 of their last 30 home Champions League games, drawing five – the only loss 2-3 to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020/21 quarter-final first leg. They won their first four games in Munich this season before drawing with Celtic.

Leverkusen

European record vs German clubs: W2 D1 L1 F4 A3
Away European record vs German clubs: W0 D1 L1

Leverkusen's last European tie against a Bundesliga club came in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16, when they won 1-0 against Hamburg in the home first leg and progressed on away goals despite a 3-2 away loss.

That was only their second meeting with German opponents in European competition, the first coming in the semi-finals of their victorious UEFA Cup campaign in 1987/88 when Alois Reinhardt's second-half strike in the home first leg against Werder Bremen proved the only goal of the tie.

Leverkusen have therefore won both two-legged ties against domestic opponents in Europe.

This is the first time Leverkusen have reached the Champions League knockout rounds since 2016/17.

That campaign ended in a 2-4 defeat by Atlético de Madrid (2-4 h, 0-0 a), making it five defeats in as many round of 16 appearances.

Indeed, a 1-0 first-leg win against Atleti in 2014/15 – a tie Leverkusen went on to lose on penalties – is their only victory in their ten round of 16 matches, a run that includes eight defeats.

Europa League finalists last season, Xabi Alonso's side lost two of their four away games in the league phase – 0-4 at Liverpool and 1-2 at Atlético – to make it three defeats in Leverkusen's last 15 European away games (W8 D4).

Alonso guided Leverkusen to a first Bundesliga title last season and also oversaw victory in the German Cup final as the club claimed that trophy for only the second time.

Links and trivia

Alonso was a Bayern player between 2014 and his retirement in 2017. He won three Bundesliga titles and the 2015/16 German Cup in Munich, where his team-mates included Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller for all three seasons and Joshua Kimmich for two.

Josip Stanišić was part of Leverkusen's double-winning squad last season, scoring four goals in 38 appearances in all competitions on loan from Bayern.

International team-mates:
Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, Aleksander Pavlovic & Jonathan Tah, Florian Wirtz, Robert Andrich (Germany).

Have played together:
Konrad Laimer & Nordi Mukiele (Leipzig 2018–22)
Dayot Upamecano & Nordi Mukiele (Leipzig 2018–21)
Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano & Patrik Schick (Leipzig 2019/20)
Leroy Sané & Aleix García (Manchester City 2016/17)
Michael Olise & Jeremie Frimpong (Manchester City youth 2016/17)

Latest news

Bayern

Bayern stayed eight points clear in the Bundesliga with a 3-1 comeback win at Stuttgart on Friday.

Vincent Kompany's side have won nine of their last ten league games, scoring 30 goals, the only exception a goalless draw at second-placed Leverkusen on 15 February.

Harry Kane has 21 goals in this season's Bundesliga and 32 in 38 games for club and country.

Kane scored 55 goals in his first 50 Bundesliga games – a new record.

Bayern have scored at least three goals in ten successive home Bundesliga games.

Joshua Kimmich had to be substituted shortly before the break in a 4-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt on 23 February due to a hamstring problem and sat out Saturday's victory..

Daniel Peretz has been missing since 8 January with a kidney problem but is back in training.

Leverkusen

Leverkusen were 4-1 winners at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday to stay eight points behind leaders Bayern.

On 22 February Leverkusen prevailed 2-0 at Holstein Kiel, their first league win in three games after two goalless draws.

Leverkusen are unbeaten in 29 Bundesliga away games, Xabi Alonso setting a new mark for a coach by surpassing Udo Lattek's record with Bayern and Schalke (27).

Leverkusen are unbeaten in 22 Bundesliga games.

Patrik Schick, who opened the scoring in Kiel and got the third on Saturday, has 16 goals in his last 14 league games.

Alonso's side have conceded 28 goals in their first 24 league games, four more than in the whole of 2023/24.

Nathan Tella missed the win in Kiel due to hip problems but returned to score the first goal on Saturday.

Martin Terrier has been sidelined since 18 January with a torn Achilles tendon.

Jeanuël Belocian has been out since 5 January with a knee injury.