Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern München facts

German champions Bayer Leverkusen have it all to do as Bundesliga leaders Bayern München visit for the decisive leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie holding a 3-0 advantage.

Vincent Kompany's Bayern put in a dominant display in Munich on 5 March, Harry Kane scoring twice (9, 75pen) either side of a Jamal Musiala strike (54), Leverkusen ending their first knockout game since 2017 with ten men after Nordi Mukiele's 62nd-minute red card.

Previous meetings

The first leg was 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.

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 seventh Champions League match between Bundesliga clubs – all involving Bayern.

Form guide

Leverkusen

Record vs German clubs: W2 D1 L2 F4 A6
Home record vs German clubs: W2 D0 L0

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, and both home matches 1-0.

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 11 round of 16 matches, a run that includes nine defeats.

Europa League finalists last season, Leverkusen have won nine of their last ten home games in Europe and are unbeaten in 13 (W10 D3), beating AC Milan (1-0), Salzburg (5-0) Inter Milan (1-0) and Sparta Praha (2-0) this season.

Xabi 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.

Leverkusen have won four of the ten UEFA ties in which they lost the first leg away, most famously in the first instance when they went down 3-0 at Espanyol in the first leg of the 1987/88 UEFA Cup final, only to win by the same scoreline in Germany before taking the trophy on penalties. Their other three aggregate wins have all come when they lost the first leg by a one-goal margin.

Leverkusen's record in four UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W2 L2:
3-2 v Espanyol, 1987/88 UEFA Cup final
3-5 v Tirol Innsbruck, 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup quarter-final
2-3 v Atlético de Madrid, 2014/15 UEFA Champions League round of 16
5-3 v Monaco, 2022/23 UEFA Europa League knockout play-off

Bayern

Record vs German clubs: W9 D2 L5 F31 A24
Away record vs German clubs: W2 D1 L4

The first leg was Bayern's first against 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.

The first-leg victory made it four 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.

The 4-0 win at Kaiserslautern in 1999 ended Bayern's run of four successive away European defeats against German opponents.

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.

Defeats at Aston Villa (0-1), Barcelona (1-4) – making it three successive away European losses, a club first – and Feyenoord (0-3) this season have made it seven in Bayern's last 40 away Champions League matches (W26 D7); they have won their other two this season, including 2-1 at Celtic in the knockout phase play-off first leg.

Bayern have recorded home first-leg victories 52 times in UEFA competition and have triumphed in all but eight ties, including the last 12. Their sole previous 3-0 home first-leg win, against Bulgaria's Marek Dupnitsa in the 1977/78 UEFA Cup second round, was followed by a 0-2 away reverse.

Bayern's record in six UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W5 L1:
4-3 v Åtvidaberg, 1973/74 European Cup first round
9-8 v PAOK, 1983/84 UEFA Cup second round
5-4 v Valencia, 2000/01 Champions League final
3-1 v Real Madrid, 2011/12 Champions League semi-final
3-4 v Chelsea, 2011/12 Champions League final
5-4 v Chelsea, 2013 Super Cup

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

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

Latest news

Leverkusen

Leverkusen's 22-game unbeaten Bundesliga run was ended by a 0-2 home defeat against Werder Bremen on Saturday, keeping them eight points behind leaders Bayern, who were also beaten.

That was the first time Die Werkself had suffered successive losses in all competitions since May 2023.

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).

Patrik Schick has 16 goals in his last 15 league games.

Alonso's side have conceded 30 goals in their first 25 league games, six more than in the whole of 2023/24.

Leverkusen will visit third-tier Arminia Bielefeld in the semi-finals of the German Cup on 1 April.

Granit Xhaka and Edmond Tapsoba were withdrawn at half-time on Saturday due to knocks; Florian Wirtz was introduced at the break but was himself replaced 14 minutes later having damaged a foot.

Robert Andrich has missed the last two matches due to illness.

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.

Bayern

Bayern stayed eight points clear in the Bundesliga despite letting slip a two-goal lead given to them by Raphaël Guerreiro's double in the first half-hour to lose 2-3 at home to Bochum on Saturday, playing the second half with ten men after João Palhinha's 42nd-minute red card.

Vincent Kompany's side had been unbeaten in ten league games, winning nine and scoring 30 goals, the only exception a goalless draw at second-placed Leverkusen on 15 February.

Harry Kane, who has now converted 30 penalties in a row in all competitions, has 21 goals in this season's Bundesliga and 34 in 40 games for club and country.

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

Manuel Neuer had to be substituted in the first leg against Leverkusen with a calf injury, winter signing Jonas Urbig then making his debut for Bayern. Neuer sat out Saturday's defeat.

Aleksandar Pavlović missed the last three games due to illness.

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