When Bruges was a guest at a Munich premiere in 2005
FC Bayern Munich against Belgian teams: This is a rare occurrence in European football. They have only met Club Bruges twice, but on a very special occasion at the Allianz Arena in 2005.
Here, Martin Demichelis (left) lets Bruges' Sven Vermant fall to the sword. IMAGO
September 27, 2005, was a special day in the history of FC Bayern and the Allianz Arena. For the first time, the German record champions played a European Cup home game in their new stadium. Their opponents then, as they did this Wednesday evening, were Club Bruges from Belgium. The Munich team won by the narrowest of margins, with defender Martin Demichelis scoring the decisive 1-0 goal in the 32nd minute.
It was one of only two encounters with Bruges in FC Bayern's long European Cup history. In their reunion in the group stage in Belgium, Claudio Pizarro 's lead wasn't enough for Bayern, who had to settle for a 1-1 draw. They advanced as second in the group behind Juventus Turin, while the Belgians finished third, ahead of Rapid Vienna .
The 19-time Belgian champions last reached the semi-finals of the Conference League in 2024, losing just as narrowly to AC Fiorentina as they did in the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final against eventual winners Werder Bremen. In 1976, the club narrowly missed out on triumphing in the UEFA Cup, losing 3-2 and 1-1 in the two finals against Liverpool, with Bruges already leading 2-0 in the first leg at Anfield. In 1978, they almost lifted the trophy, but their dreams were dashed again in the final against Liverpool, losing 1-0, with Kenny Dalglish scoring the goal.
The club started this Champions League season with a strong 4-1 win over AS Monaco before losing 2-1 to Atalanta Bergamo. Bayern should be warned, though: their opponents certainly have the resources and skill to trouble bigger clubs.
The opponent was usually AnderlechtFC Bayern have faced Belgian teams 16 times to date, winning ten, drawing three, and losing three. On their way to their first European Cup victory in 1967, the Munich team eliminated Standard Liège in the semifinals of the European Cup Winners' Cup, winning 5-1 on aggregate over the two legs.
Bayern's paths have crossed most frequently, in twelve of the 16 meetings, with RSC Anderlecht. The last meeting was in the 2017/18 group stage, with Bayern winning 3-0 at home and 2-1 away. All three defeats against Belgian teams have come against Anderlecht, including the 1976 European Super Cup and the 1986 European Cup quarter-final exit.
This is not a threat this time, but Vincent Kompany's team wants to build on their excellent position in the league phase with a third win in three games in order to avoid the play-offs in February.
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