Champions League football returns after the international break. It is going to be a historic season since UEFA has made a significant change to the tournament's format. The new format will see teams play eight different teams in group stages instead of three teams. Bayern Munich is set to face a couple of European giants during the group stages after the draw for the Champions League took place in Monaco.
The Bavarian club will play four games at home and four away from Munich during the group stages. Die Roten will host Paris Saint-Germain, Dinamo Zagreb, Benfica, and Slovan Bratislava. The game against PSG will be an exciting game to watch as Luis Enrique’s team have started the Ligue 1 campaign on fire.
Meanwhile, the away games for Bayern will be against FC Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord, and Aston Villa. Die Roten are certainly favourites to qualify for the next round, but they will have to overcome tricky games away to finish in the top 8 of the points table.
A trip to Barcelona for Bayern München 💥
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 29, 2024
Taking a closer look at their league phase opponents 👇#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/JZImp30E1p
Games to watch out
The trip to FC Barcelona will be an exciting game for several different reasons. Robert Lewandowski will face Bayern for the second time in the Champions League since leaving Munich two years ago. The Polish striker will look to get one over his former team after suffering defeats in both group games during the 2022/23 campaign.
Hansi Flick will also face Bayern for the first time since leaving the club three years ago. The German coach replaced Xavi Hernandez as the head coach of FC Barcelona in the summer. Flick has enjoyed a winning start to the season with FC Barcelona.
Bayern have won all their last six games against FC Barcelona. They have dominated the Spanish club consistently in the last few seasons. Flick was the coach when Bayern hammered eight goals past Barcelona in a single knockout game four years ago. It will be intriguing to see how Flick will try to stifle Die Roten at Camp Nou.
Apart from the trip to Barcelona, the game away at Aston Villa will be an intriguing watch. The Premier League club has done incredibly well under Unai Emery. The Spanish coach has a good European record. Villa Park is a difficult place to go so Bayern players will be tested mentally in this game.
Considering the set of fixtures Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have got in the group stage, Bayern will be content with their eight games.