Bayern and Chelsea renew rivalry

The 2011/12 UEFA Champions League final pits Chelsea FC against FC Bayern München and evokes an eventful tie from the recent past, as well as some mixed memories from previous European finals.

Previous meetings
2004/05 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals
• Chelsea 4-2 Bayern (J Cole 4, Lampard 60 70, Drogba 80; Schweinsteiger 52, Ballack 90pen)
• Bayern 3-2 Chelsea (Lampard 30, Drogba 80; Pizarro 65, Guerrero 90, Scholl 90+5)

Chelsea triumphed 6-5 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals, where they lost to Liverpool FC. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Petr Čech and John Terry are the only survivors from the squads now, all five playing both legs.

Bayern v English sides
Bayern have already faced Premier League opposition this season, coming up against Manchester City FC in the group stage when each side recorded a 2-0 home win. Overall the German club have played 35 matches against English sides, winning 13, drawing 12 and losing ten with 51 goals scored and 43 against. They have lost only once in Munich in 16 matches, including ten victories – 2-1 versus Norwich City FC in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup second round – and have won four out of the last five contests in Germany.

Chelsea v German sides
The Blues went down 2-1 at Bayern 04 Leverkusen on matchday five having won 2-0 against the same opponents in London in the opening round of group games. Of their 13 previous fixtures against Bundesliga sides they have won seven and lost four, all those defeats coming in Germany – indeed they have won only one of their six visits, 1-0 at VfB Stuttgart in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Final omens
Chelsea did, however, emerge victorious in their only UEFA final against German opponents, Gianfranco Zola scoring the only goal of the 1997/98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup showpiece against Stuttgart in Solna. For Bayern, the omens are less positive; three of their previous European Cup finals have brought them into opposition with English clubs and all but the first – a 2-0 defeat of Leeds United AFC in 1974/75 – ended in disappointment.

Aston Villa FC were 1-0 victors in Rotterdam seven years later, before Bayern famously lost the 1999 UEFA Champions League final to Manchester United FC in Barcelona. They were edged out by Liverpool FC in the 2001 UEFA Super Cup, going down 3-2 in Monaco – they will hope things turn in their favour at the Fußball Arena München on 19 May.