Women's Champions League preview: Bayern München vs Häcken

Bayern München, who reached the last four of last season's UEFA Women's Champions League, go in search of their first group stage goals against a Häcken side aiming to bounce back from defeat against serial winners Lyon.

• The German champions, who clinched a fourth Frauen-Bundesliga crown in 2020/21, could not find a breakthrough against last-16 newcomers Benfica on Matchday 1, denied by a combination of a fine goalkeeping display from the Eagles' Letícia and the woodwork, with Lea Schüller hitting the crossbar in the 85th minute.

• Häcken, who were indebted to their own keeper Jennifer Falk for a number of first-half stops against Les Lyonnaises on 5 October, are the only side in Group D without a point, having conceded early in both halves against the French club.

Ones to watch: Bayern

Giulia Gwinn
• The 22-year-old, who can play on either flank, was restricted to just two appearances last term following a cruciate ligament injury sustained whilst on international duty in September 2020.

• The midfielder is in her third season with the Frauen-Bundesliga title holders, having joined ahead of 2019/20 from first club Freiburg, where she was a DFB Pokal runner-up under current Bayern coach Jens Scheuer in 2019.

• The German international scored her penalty in the 3-2 shoot-out success in the 2016 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship final against Spain.

• She was named the FIFA Young Player of the tournament at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France as her side were eliminated in the last eight by Sweden.

Linda Dallman
• The 27-year-old scored three goals in last season's UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout stages to help Bayern reach the semi-finals, only Sydney Lohmann hitting more European goals for the club in 2020/21.

• The midfielder is in her third season with the Bavarian outfit, having spent eight campaigns with Essen where she made over 150 league appearances and was a DFB Pokal finalist in 2014.

• She began her career with Leverkusen, where she made her debut aged 16 in March 2011, moving to Essen later that year.

• The German international, who represented her country at both the 2017 UEFA Women's EURO and the 2019 FIFA World Cup, was part of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup-winning side in 2014.

Lea Schüller
• The 23-year-old, who came closest to finding a winner in the Matchday 1 draw with Benfica when she fired a volley against the crossbar, moved to Bayern ahead of their Frauen-Bundesliga success of 2020/21 following seven years with first club SGS Essen.
• The forward was the Bavarians' leading league scorer last term, hitting 16 goals including a hat-trick in the 7-0 defeat of Werder Bremen in February.

• The striker made her league bow for Essen way back in December 2013, shortly after her 16th birthday.

• The Germany international has scored 19 goals at senior level for her country, including one at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup en route to their quarter-final exit at the hands of Sweden.

Ones to watch: Häcken

Stina Blackstenius
• The 25-year-old striker was denied a first-half equaliser by some brave Christiane Endler goalkeeping in the Matchday 1 loss to Lyon.

• She has already got more league goals so far this term than she managed in 2020, and is the leading score in Damallsvenskan in 2021/22 having notched two hat-tricks.

• The forward began her top-flight career with Linköpings, lifting the Damallsvenskan trophy in 2016 along with two Svenska Cupens, having joined from lower-league Vadstena GIF in 2013.

• The Swedish international spent two years in France with Montpellier (2017–19), where she finished as runners-up in Division 1 Féminine behind Lyon in her first campaign with La Paillade. She returned for a second spell with Linköpings in 2019, joining Häcken in time for the 2020 season.

Jennifer Falk
• The 28-year-old made a number of first-half saves in her side's Matchday 1 defeat at the hands of seven-time UEFA Women's Champions League winners Lyon.

• The goalkeeper has been with the club since the beginning of the 2016 season after joining from Mallbackens IF, having previously played in the Swedish fourth and third division.

• She played one group stage match at the 2020 Olympics where Sweden won silver, and was an unused squad member as her nation finished third at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

• Falk was a promising tennis player in her youth, but was forced to give up the sport due to recurring shoulder injuries.

Stine Larsen
• The 25-year-old, who scored at the wrong end in her side's Matchday 1 loss to Lyon, joined this summer following a season with Women's Super League outfit Aston Villa.

• The striker scored on her Häcken debut, a 3-1 Damallsvenskan win at Kristianstads on 25 August.

• The forward began her career with Brøndby, where she won two Elitedivisionen titles, before a spell in France with FC Fleury (2019–20).

• The Danish interntional was a UEFA Women's EURO runner-up in 2017, a tournament where she spent the latter stages playing in defence due to a number of injuries.

Key stats

• Bayern have won each of their last five UEFA Women's Champions League home games (F13 A1) and have won 12 of their last 14 games in the competition in Munich.

• Bayern have lost only two of their last 12 UEFA Women’s Champions League matches (W9 D1).

• The German club have scored two or more goals in 12 of their last 15 UEFA Women's Champions League home games.

• Sydney Lohmann has scored in three of Bayern's last four UEFA Women’s Champions League home games.

• Häcken – then known as Göteborg – were the last team to defeat Bayern in a UEFA Women's Champions League match in Munich. They recorded a 1-0 victory in the second leg of their round of 32 tie in 2019/20, although Bayern progressed on away goals having won 2-1 in the first leg.

• Häcken have won five and drawn one of their last six away games in all competitions.