Published 12:00 IST, August 22nd 2020
Bayern Munich road to Champions League final: Dominance in London, 8-2 massacre in Lisbon
Ahead of the PSG vs Bayern Munich Champions League final, here's a look at the German champions' incredible journey to the final of the competition.
Bayern Munich will face off against PSG in the UEFA Champions League final 2020 on Sunday. The German giants have made the final of the competition for the first time since 2013, which is when they last won the tournament in an all-German final against Borussia Dortmund. Since then, several coaches such as Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti have tried and failed in their quest to improve Bayern Munich's Champions League record. With Hansi Flick now at the helm, the Bundesliga champions have another chance at European glory, albeit with France football's most expensive project, PSG, standing in the way. Here’s a look at their journey to the Champions League final 2020.
Also Read: PSG Vs Bayern: French Giants Have Spent €783m Vs German Champions' €367m To Build Squad
Champions League final 2020: A perfect group stage performance
Bayern Munich have looked in imperious touch throughout their journey to the PSG vs Bayern Munich Champions League final. The Bavarians were drawn in a group featuring Tottenham Hotspur, Red Star Belgrade and Olympiakos. However, the side topped the group easily, winning all their games. Bayern Munich scored 24 goals in the group stage as they conceded just five. The highlight of the group stage was the 7-2 trouncing of Tottenham in London in a game that was dominated by a man who was deemed unworthy by Tottenham's north London rivals Arsenal as Serge Gnabry scored four, with Lewandowski at the double.
Bayern Munich's knockout stage run
In what eventually turned into a drawn-out Round of 16 encounter due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bayern Munich thrashed Chelsea over two legs to exert even more dominance over London. Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry helped clinched a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge, with the return leg in August ending in a 4-1 drubbing in favour of Bayern. The subsequent single-legged quarterfinals bore the same story as well, with Hansi Flick’s men sailing through.
Bayern utterly dominated their quarterfinal clash against Barcelona as they won 8-2, so much so that Barcelona were forced to sack their manager Quique Setien and sporting director Eric Abidal. In the semi-final, despite starting on the back foot, Bayern Munich showed great mettle as they scored three goals against Lyon to set up the new money vs old money PSG vs Bayern Munich Champions League final.
Bayern Munich Champions League record
While the PSG vs Bayern Munich Champions League final will surely be a closely fought encounter, Bayern Munich’s form throughout the tournament means that their fans will be confident heading into the final. The Bavarians have scored 42 goals en route to setting up the PSG vs Bayern Munich Champions League final, which is the most of any other side by a margin. What is interesting is, two of their players, Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry have combined to score 24 goals in the season. Their opponents on Sunday, PSG, have collectively scored 25. The German champions are just three short of equalling the all-time record for most goals scored by a team in a single Champions League season.
Image Courtesy: Instagram/fcbayern
Updated 12:00 IST, August 22nd 2020