Bayern München vs Benfica facts

Two former European Cup winners meet in Germany on Matchday 4 with Bayern München and Benfica both needing to kick-start their UEFA Champions League campaigns.

Bayern began by becoming the first side to score nine goals in a Champions League game with a 9-2 opening defeat of GNK Dinamo, but have since lost at Aston Villa (0-1) and Barcelona (1-4).

Benfica were also beaten on Matchday 3, 3-1 at home by Feyenoord, but have six points thanks to previous wins at Crvena Zvezda (2-1) and at home to Atlético de Madrid (4-0).

Previous meetings

Matches 12
Bayern wins 9
Benfica wins 0
Draws 3
Bayern goals 35
Benfica goals 9

1975/76 European Cup quarter-finals
Benfica 0-0 Bayern
Bayern 5-1 Benfica
Bernd Dürnberger and Gerd Müller both scored twice in Munich, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge getting the other for a Bayern side on their way to a third successive European Cup.

1981/82 European Cup second round
Benfica 0-0 Bayern
Bayern 4-1 Benfica
Dieter Hoeness scored a second-leg hat-trick at the Olympiastadion, where Paul Breitner got Bayern's other goal.

1995/96 UEFA Cup third round
Bayern 4-1 Benfica
Benfica 1-3 Bayern
Jürgen Klinsmann got all four goals in Bayern's home first-leg victory, then added two more in Lisbon.

2015/16 Champions League quarter-final
Bayern 1-0 Benfica
Benfica 2-2 Bayern
Arturo Vidal's second-minute strike settled the Munich opener, the Chilean also scoring in Portugal, where Thomas Müller got Bayern's decisive second goal.

2018/19 Champions League group stage
Benfica 0-2 Bayern
Bayern 5-1 Benfica
Robert Lewandowski and Renato Sanches – now back at Benfica – scored in Lisbon, the former adding two more in Munich, where Arjen Robben (2) and Franck Ribéry wrapped up another emphatic Bayern victory.

2021/22 Champions League group stage
Benfica 0-4 Bayern
Bayern 5-2 Benfica
Leroy Sané got two goals and Lewandowski one as Bayern eased to victory in Lisbon; the Pole got three more at the Fußball Arena München, with Serge Gnabry and Sané also scoring.

Form guide

Bayern 

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W19 D9 L2 F74 A23
Home record vs Portuguese clubs: W12 D2 L0

Bayern's last six games against Portuguese clubs have all come against Benfica, scoring 16 goals in winning the last four.

Bayern's two defeats by Portuguese clubs have both come against Porto, 1-3 in the 2014/15 Champions League quarter-final first leg (6-1 h) and 1-2 in the 1987 European Cup final.

The Munich club have won their last six games at home to Portuguese visitors, scoring 25 goals.

Bayern lifted their sixth European Cup at the Estádio do SL Benfica, Kingsley Coman heading the only goal against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020 final.

The German club have featured in the Champions League proper in every season since 2008/09, reaching the knockout rounds in each one of those campaigns.

Overall, this is Bayern's 28th campaign in the Champions League proper, level with Porto and fewer only than Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 29).

Defeat at Villa on Matchday 2 this season ended Bayern's record run of 41 Champions League group/league phase matches unbeaten (W37 D4).

Bayern won five of their six group games in 2023/24, then edged past Lazio (3-1 aggregate) and Arsenal (3-2 agg) before conceding two late goals in the semi-final second leg at Real Madrid to bow out (2-2 h, 1-2 a).

The six-time European champions have reached the quarter-finals or better in 12 of their last 13 Champions League campaigns, the exception a last-16 elimination by Liverpool in 2018/19.

Bayern have won 21 of their last 26 home Champions League games, drawing four – the only loss a 2-3 reverse to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020/21 quarter-final first leg.

A side coached by Thomas Tuchel relinquished their hold on the Bundesliga title in 2023/24, finishing third behind Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart. It was the first time Bayern had failed to win the title since 2011/12 and their lowest league placing since 2010/11, when they were also third.

Tuchel was replaced by Vincent Kompany in the summer.

Benfica

Record vs German clubs: W14 D15 L23 F58 A90
Away record vs German clubs: W2 D7 L18

The Eagles' most recent fixtures against German opponents were their 2021 defeats by Bayern, making it five games without a win against Bundesliga teams (D1 L4).

A 4-2 home first-leg victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League quarter-final – a tie they lost on away goals after a 2-0 away reverse – is Benfica's only success in their last nine games with German clubs (D1 L7).

Benfica have won only two of their 27 away fixtures in Germany, losing 18, and were also beaten in Stuttgart by PSV Eindhoven in the 1988 European Cup final, losing on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

This is Benfica's 19th appearance in the Champions League proper, and a 14th in the last 15 seasons.

The Eagles reached successive quarter-finals in 2021/22 and 2022/23 but were unable to progress to the knockout rounds last season, finishing third in Group D behind Real Sociedad and Inter Milan.

A side coached by Roger Schmidt side beat Toulouse (2-1 aggregate) and Rangers (3-2 agg) to reach the Europa League quarter-finals, where Marseille ended their run (2-2 agg, 2-4 pens).

Despite last season's defeats at Inter (0-1), Real Sociedad (1-3) and Marseille (0-1), Benfica have suffered only five losses in their last 25 European games outside Lisbon (W11 D9).

European champions in 1961 and 1962, Benfica have lost in five other European Cup finals, most recently in 1990.

The Lisbon club were second to local rivals Sporting CP in the 2023/24 Portuguese Liga.

Benfica parted company with Schmidt on 31 August, reappointing Bruno Lage, who was previously in charge between January 2019 and July 2020, as his replacement.

Links and trivia

Renato Sanches signed for Bayern from Benfica in May 2016 after one season in the Eagles' first team. He went on to make 53 appearances for the German side and was part of two Bundesliga title-winning squads, also lifting the 2018/19 DFB-Pokal, before leaving for LOSC Lille in August 2019.

Have also played in Germany:
Jan-Niklas Beste (Borussia Dortmund 2007–18, Werder Bremen 2018/19, Jahn Regensburg 2020–22 loan, Heidenheim 2022–24)
Leandro Barreiro (Mainz 2016–24)
Vangelis Pavlidis (Bochum 2015–18, Borussia Dortmund II 2018–19 loan)

Have played in Portugal:
João Palhinha (Sporting CP 2012–22; Moreirense: 2015/16 loan; Belenenses 2016/17 loan, Braga 2018–20 loan)
Eric Dier (Sporting CP 2003–14)

Have played together:
Raphaël Guerreiro & Jan-Niklas Beste (Borussia Dortmund 2017/18)
Leroy Sané & Nicolás Otamendi (Manchester City 2016–20)

Vincent Kompany and Nicolás Otamendi were team-mates at Manchester City between 2015 and 2019.

Kompany was Zeki Amdouni’s coach at Burnley in 2023/24.

International team-mates:
João Palhinha, Raphaël Guerreiro & António Silva, Tomás Araújo (Portugal)

Latest news

Bayern

Vincent Kompany's men won four of their last five games, beating Union Berlin 3-0 in Munich on Saturday.

On 27 October they prevailed 5-0 in Bochum before reaching the last 16 of the German Cup with a 4-0 win in Mainz three days later.*

Harry Kane, who was on target once in Bochum and scored twice against Union, has 11 goals in this season's Bundesliga. He has 19 in 17 games for club and country this season.

Jamal Musiala scored three times in Mainz and once in Bochum; Leroy Sané also registered in both games, the goal in Bochum his 50th for Bayern.

Aleksandar Pavlovic has been sidelined since 19 October with a collarbone fracture that needed surgery.

Sacha Boey (out since 15 September, knee) and new signing Hiroki Ito (28 July, broken metatarsal) have resumed light training.

Josip Stanišić has been out since 19 August with a knee injury.

Benfica

On Saturday Benfica came from behind to win 2-1 at Farense, Vangelis Pavlidis getting the decisive goal to make it three in two games.

Benfica were 5-0 winners at home to Rio Ave on 27 October, Kerem Aktürkoglu scoring a hat-trick.

The Turkish winger has 13 goals in his last 14 games for club and country. He was the first player since 1965 to score eight goals in his first seven Benfica appearances.

The Eagles were 3-0 winners at home to Santa Clara in the League Cup quarter-finals on 30 October, Pavlidis scoring twice. They will play Braga in the last four on 7 January.

Benfica are at home to Estrela da Amadora in the Portuguese Cup fourth round on 23 November.

Leandro Barreiro suffered a thigh injury on the eve of the game against Feyenoord and has not played since.