Bayern Munich vs Slovan Bratislava

Allianz Arena forms the backdrop for a ‘David vs Goliath’ Champions League encounter between Bayern Munich and Slovan Bratislava.

Bayern Munich’s chances of securing a sought-after top-eight finish plummeted after a 3-0 rout at Feyenoord in the penultimate round, leaving them a point off the automatic qualification zone. However, Vincent Kompany’s side regained confidence with a 2-1 win at Freiburg over the weekend to extend their lead at the Bundesliga table summit. The impending home return bodes well for the Bavarians as they’ve won all three Champions League outings at the Allianz this term, including a record-breaking 9-2 victory against Dinamo Zagreb on matchday one. Those triumphs form part of Bayern’s ongoing joint-competition record of 33 unbeaten matches on home turf (W31, D2), highlighting the potential for another emphatic scoreline. Furthermore, they’ve won eight of their last ten games in all competitions (L2). 

Meanwhile, Slovan Bratislava’s debut campaign at Europe’s top table has been an unmitigated disaster, as they enter the league-phase finale as one of only two teams yet to pick up a point. Visiting Germany will unlikely help them turn their miserable fortunes around, considering they won none of their three previous trips to the country (D1, L2). Moreover, the visitors are at risk of becoming only the fifth side to play at least ten games in the Champions League proper without ever claiming victory (D1, L8). Unfortunately, that’s a distinct possibility after they conceded an alarming ten goals across their three league-phase road trips this season, most recently suffering a 3-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid. That loss forms part of Slovan’s three-match winless run away from home in competitive football (D1, L2).