Bayern begin Ancelotti era against Russian newcomers

FC Bayern München host FC Rostov, the UEFA Champions League newcomers from Russia, in their opening fixture in Group D.

• If five-time winners Bayern need no introduction to the demands of the UEFA Champions League, this is uncharted territory for a Rostov side who have never before competed in the group stage of a UEFA competition.

Match background

Bayern
• For Carlo Ancelotti, a European Cup-winning coach with AC Milan and Real Madrid CF, this is the first European fixture in charge of a Bayern side who, under Josep Guardiola, were losing UEFA Champions League semi-finalists in each of the last three seasons, beaten on away goals by Club Atlético de Madrid last term.

• Bayern won all six home games in the 2015/16 competition, with an aggregate scoreline of 21-4, and need just one more victory in Munich to set a UEFA Champions League record. With their 2-1 semi-final second-leg victory over Atlético, Bayern made it 12 home wins in a row, equalling the existing mark set by Manchester United FC.

• Bayern's home record against Russian visitors is W5 D3 L1.

• Their most recent opponents from Russia were PFC CSKA Moskva, whom they beat away and home in the group stage in both 2013/14 and 2014/15. Thomas Müller scored a penalty in each of Bayern's last three encounters with CSKA.

Rostov
• Rostov are making their first visit to Germany but they have faced an Ancelotti team before. Dmitri Kirichenko, now Rostov coach, was in the side beaten 9-1 on aggregate by an Ancelotti-managed Juventus in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup semi-finals – their debut appearance in European competition.

• The newcomers reached the group stage by beating RSC Anderlecht (4-2 aggregate) in the third qualifying round and four-times winners AFC Ajax (5-2 agg) in the play-offs.

• They avoided defeat at both Anderlecht and Ajax, winning 2-0 in Brussels and drawing 1-1 in Amsterdam.

• Prior to this season, the Russian Premier League runners-up had played just ten European matches in their entire history – two fewer than Bayern contested in 2015/16 alone.

Coach and player links
• Ancelotti's first taste of UEFA competition was as an Italy Under-21 player in a 3-1 defeat in the Soviet Union in April 1980. Eight years later he was in the Italy side beaten 2-0 by the USSR in the semi-final of the 1988 UEFA European Championship.

• As a coach Ancelotti has a 100% record against Russian opposition. His Juventus side beat Rostov 4-0 away and 5-1 at home in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup. With AC Milan he oversaw 1-0 home and away successes against FC Lokomotiv Moskva in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League second group stage. With Chelsea FC there were wins (2-0 away, 4-1 home) against FC Spartak Moskva in the 2010/11 group stage.

• Kirichenko faced German clubs twice as a player in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. With FC Moskva he lost 2-0 on aggregate to Hertha BSC Berlin in 2006. With FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast, he suffered a 3-1 aggregate defeat by VfB Stuttgart, despite his goal having earned his team a 1-0 first-leg victory.

• Kingsley Coman hit his first goal for France in a 4-2 friendly defeat of Russia on 29 March this year.

• Arturo Vidal and Christian Noboa faced off in the opening game of the 2015 Copa América, Bayern's Chilean midfielder scoring in the tournament hosts' 2-0 victory over Noboa's Ecuador.

• Franck Ribéry scored twice for France in a 4-2 FIFA World Cup qualifying win away to Timofei Kalachev's Belarus in September 2013. Kalachev hit his side's second goal.

Match facts

Lewandowski has started the season with a bang©Getty Images

Bayern
• Robert Lewandowski has scored eight goals in his last four games for club and country.

• Carlo Ancelotti claimed silverware in his first competitive game at the helm as Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on 14 August in the German Super Cup. The Munich side had lost the fixture the previous three seasons.

• Lewandowski scored back-to-back hat-tricks in August, at fourth-tier FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the cup then at home to SV Werder Bremen in the league.

• Lewandowski brought up 50 league goals for Bayern against Bremen, in his 64th outing – the fastest for a Bayern player, surpassing the 67 it took Roy Makaay.

• Xabi Alonso scored the first goal of the new Bundesliga season.

• Nine years and 99 days after his first Bundesliga game for Bayern, summer signing Mats Hummels played his second league match for them against Bremen.

• Douglas Costa (out since the end of May, thigh) came off the bench in Friday's 2-0 win at FC Schalke 04.

• Kingsley Coman (17 August, ankle) resumed full training on Sunday, while Arjen Robben (16 July, adductor) and Jérôme Boateng (7 July, thigh) were able to participate partially. Holger Badstuber (13 February, ankle) is back in individual training.

• Thomas Müller ended a run of seven Germany games without a goal with two and an assist for Joshua Kimmich in a 3-0 win in Norway on 4 September in FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Rostov
• The Russian side have taken the lead in their last three away games but did not win any.

• Rostov had the best defensive record in the Russian top flight last season, conceding 20 goals in 30 games.

• Fedor Kudryashov and Aleksandr Erokhin both won their first senior caps in Russia's 0-0 friendly draw against Turkey in Antalya on 31 August.

• Goalkeeper Soslan Dzhanaev was Rostov fans' player of the month in July and August.

• Rostov are 23 matches unbeaten at home in all competitions, since a 1-0 loss to Terek in May 2015.