Bayern braced for Anderlecht visit

• #EQUALGAME
This week,  football fans watching UEFA Champions League matches in stadiums, online and on TV will witness the premiere of the new UEFA RESPECT TV ads, called #EqualGame. The adverts feature Ada Hegerberg, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and amateur players and will run throughout the season to promote inclusion, diversity and accessibility in European Football with the motto "Everyone has the right to enjoy football, no matter who you are, where you're from, or how you play."
More information on the campaign and on the advertisements can be found in the accompanying media release and on the campaign website: www.equalgame.com.

• FC Bayern München will once again be looking to establish a formidable home record as they kick off Group B against RSC Anderlecht – although history gives them reason to be wary of the Belgian side.

• The German club were on a record 16-game winning streak at home in the UEFA Champions League before a 2-1 loss against eventual champions Real Madrid CF in last season's quarter-final first leg.

• That set up Bayern's elimination – the first time the Munich giants had failed to reach the semi-finals or better since 2010/11.

• Oddly, both Bayern and Anderlecht exited European competition last season in the quarter-finals after losing the tie in extra time away from home against the eventual winners of the competition.

• Anderlecht are in the group stage for the first time since 2014/15, when they came third in their section. They had finished bottom of the pool in their seven previous group stage campaigns since reaching the last 16 (i.e. qualifying for the second group stage) in 2000/01.

Previous meetings
• Bayern have won five of the teams' ten meetings, although Anderlecht triumphed in the last – for their third victory overall. Goals from Akın Serhat (20) and Olexandr Yakovenko (35) secured a 2-1 success in Munich in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16 second leg despite Lúcio's ninth-minute opener for Bayern – though the German side comfortably progressed having won 5-0 in Brussels, Franck Ribéry scoring the final goal.

• The line-ups at the Fußball Arena München on 12 March 2008 were:
Bayern: Rensing, Sagnol, Lúcio, Breno, Lahm, José Sosa, Ottl (Schlaudraff 72), Van Bommel, Kroos (Ribéry 46), Podolski, Klose (Hamit Altıntop 87).
Anderlecht: Zítka (Schollen 46), Gillet, Saré, Juhász, Deschacht, Yakovenko (Boussoufa 66), De Man, Biglia, Hassan, Goor, Serhat (Gillis 90).

• That was Bayern's first home defeat by Belgian visitors; they had won all six previous games, scoring 13 goals and conceding two.

• Anderlecht won their first two home matches against Bayern, but that 2008 victory was their first success in six games, home and away (D2 L3).

• The two clubs first met in the UEFA Super Cup in August 1976. Gerd Müller scored twice in Bayern's 2-1 first-leg win in Munich, but Anderlecht turned it round with a 4-1 triumph in the return, Rob Rensenbrink netting twice.

• The Belgian side also won the next tie, retrieving another 2-1 away deficit with a 2-0 home win in the 1985/86 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-finals. Bayern triumphed at the same stage of the same competition the following year (5-0 home, 2-2 away) and had the better of the teams' encounters in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage, with Bayern's new sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić and Anderlecht defender Olivier Deschacht playing in both games. The pair drew 1-1 in Belgium before Bayern's Roy Makaay got the only goal from the penalty spot in Munich.

Match background

Bayern
• Bayern qualified for the group stage after winning their fifth straight Bundesliga title in 2016/17. The German side are aiming to reach the knockout rounds for the tenth season in a row.

• The Munich club won all 16 of their European home matches between 17 September 2014 and 15 February this year; the loss to Madrid in the quarter-finals was their first reverse in Munich since a 4-0 defeat by the same opponents in their 2013/14 semi-final second leg.

• Carlo Ancelotti's men came second in their group behind Club Atlético de Madrid in 2016/17 – the first time they had failed to win their section since 2009/10. They beat Arsenal FC 10-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, only to lose 6-3 over two legs to Madrid.

• Bayern have won all nine group home games since a 3-2 reverse at the hands of Manchester City FC on matchday six in 2013/14.

• Their overall record against Belgian clubs is W8 D3 L3; at home it is W6 D0 L1.

Anderlecht
• Anderlecht are contesting the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 12th time in total. They qualified automatically after landing a 34th Belgian title last term.

• In 2016/17, Anderlecht crashed out to FC Rostov in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. Moving into the UEFA Europa League, they went all the way to the last eight – their first European quarter-final since losing to FC Internazionale Milano in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup – eventually bowing out to Manchester United FC (1-1 home, 1-2 away aet).

• Anderlecht have not won an away game in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final, since a 1-0 victory at Real Betis Balompié on 6 December 2005. Their away record since then reads D8 L4.

• The Brussels outfit drew 1-1 at 1. FSV Mainz 05 in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage, winning 6-1 at home.

• Anderlecht won their first three away games against German opposition, but that 2008 victory at Bayern was their first since October 1977 (D2 L10 in the meantime).

• Anderlecht's overall record against German sides is W13 D5 L17; in Germany, W4 D2 L11.

Coach and player links
• Anderlecht coach René Weiler coached 1. FC Nürnberg in the 2. Bundesliga in Germany from 2014 to 2016.

• Massimo Bruno also spent 2015/16 in the 2. Bundesliga, with RB Leipzig.

• Mats Hummels was a late substitute when Borussia Dortmund won 3-0 at Anderlecht in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Javi Martínez's Athletic Club were knocked out of the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League round of 32 by Anderlecht (1-1 home, 0-4 away).

• Łukasz Teodorczyk and Robert Lewandowski are Poland team-mates.

• Lewandowski struck twice in Poland's 3-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying victory in Romania in November 2016. Nicolae Stanciu and Alexandru Chipciu featured for Romania both then and in the June 2017 return, in which Lewandowski added a hat-trick in a 3-1 Polish triumph.

• Stanciu scored and provided an assist in Romania's 3-2 friendly win against Arturo Vidal's Chile on 13 June this year.

Match facts

Bayern
• Vidal serves a one-game ban following his dismissal in last season's quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid.

• Bayern lost 2-0 at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday, their first Bundesliga defeat by more than a goal since 2015.

• Bayern started the season by defeating Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup for the second consecutive year, prevailing 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

• Niklas Süle and Corentin Tolisso scored on their league debuts for Bayern as Bayer 04 Leverkusen were beaten 3-1 on the opening night of the Bundesliga campaign.

• Lewandowski has scored six goals in five outings for Bayern this term. He also converted a penalty in Poland's 3-0 home win against Kazakhstan, his 12th goal in eight European Qualifiers, on 4 September.

• David Alaba was substituted with an ankle injury during Austria's 1-1 draw against Georgia on 5 September and was not in Saturday's matchday squad at Hoffenheim.

• On the same day, James Rodríguez, fit again after a thigh problem, made his first appearance of the season as Colombia drew 1-1 with Brazil. He made his Bayern debut as a second-half substitute on Saturday.

• Manuel Neuer returned from the broken metatarsal he sustained in April by keeping a clean sheet versus SV Werder Bremen (2-0) on 26 August. He was rested for the European Qualifiers.

• Joshua Kimmich, Süle and Sebastian Rudy won the FIFA Confederations Cup with Germany this summer.

• Juan Bernat is out with an ankle injury sustained on 22 July. Jérôme Boateng (out since 20 May, hamstring) has resumed full training.

• Lewandowski, Neuer and Vidal are on the 24-strong shortlist to be named The Best FIFA Men's Player 2017. The winner will be announced on 23 October.

Anderlecht
• Anderlecht defeated SV Zulte Waregem 2-1 in the Belgian Super Cup at their Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on 23 July.

• Henry Onyekuru, on loan from Everton, scored his first two goals for Anderlecht on Friday as René Weiler's side beat KSC Lokeren OV 3-2. Łukasz Teodorczyk struck the last-minute winner.

• Les Mauves et Blanc have had an indifferent start to the league season, winning two, drawing two and losing two of their first six matches.

• It took until late October for Anderlecht to suffer their second league defeat last season.