Two -time European Champions Chelsea are back at the top table after the two -year absence.
Chelsea will appear in the Champions League for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign, and their first match will be back against heavyweights Bayern Munich.
A journey to Munich – the scene of one of their most famous nights – welcomes them back in the Champions League fold, and the blues go against a team bang in shape.
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern was running away last season Bundesliga champions, and they started in style this season, score 14 goals in their three league games and taking maximum points.
They sent Hamburger SV on Saturday, while Chelsea was back to a 2-2 draw by Brentford.
Wednesday’s collision is an intriguing prospect, with two teams that like to get on the front foot, certainly entertainment. Here we dive into the most important Opta statistics.
What is expected?
Bayern has won three of their last four games against Chelsea in the Champions League (D1, lost on penalties in the final in 2012), including winning both legs against them in the last 16 2019-2020, in their most recent meetings (3-0 away and 4-1 at home).
Chelsea has lost 60% of their matches against Bayern in the European Cup/Champions League (W1 D1 L3).
That is their highest loss percentage on each side that they have confronted at the European Premier Club competition at least five times.
Indeed, only Barcelona (four) has more victories against the blues than Bayern (three) in the European Cup/Champions League.
The OPTA Supercomputer carried out 10,000 simulations guided by data and Bayern came out in 54.9% of them.
Chelsea only gets a chance of winning of 23%, while the chance of a draw is 22.1%.
When it comes to the overall predictions of tournament, the Chelsea model actually gives a greater chance of becoming European champions than Bayern, with the chances of the blues arranged at 7% and Bayern’s at 5%.
Bayern has scored more goals this period than any other team in Europe’s top five competitions, which performs better than their 8.6 expected goals (XG), which are together, together with Real Madrid.
They are the only Bundesliga team with a record of 100% in 2025-26, so the defense of Chelsea-Die this term was not very solid-looking to have their work cut.
Bayern’s League phase Expertise
Bayern was eliminated by the final second internal Internazionale in the last 16 of last season’s Champions League, and it is fair to say that the Kompany team has not always convinced in Europe.
They suffered defeats for Aston Villa, Barcelona and Feyenoord in the competition phase and had to scrap Celtic in a knockout play-off.
However, since 2003-04, when the second group stage was removed, Bayern has the highest profit percentage in the group/competition phase of the Champions League (73%), with 93 of their 128 games won before the knockout phase.
Bayern also has a great recent record against English teams in the competition.
They have only lost one of their last 11 home games against English parties in the Champions League (W8 D2), with that defeat against Liverpool by Jurgen Klopp in March 2019 (3-1).
Bayern has defeated five different English parties in this run, including Chelsea (W3 v Arsenal, W1 V Manchester City, W2 V Manchester United and W1 V Tottenham).
Star Forward Harry Kane continues to thrive for Bayern, and he will be out to cause the damage against a team that he actually scored eight times, in 22 previous meetings.
Kane has started brilliantly this season and has already scored 11 goals in all competitions (including the club World Cup), and performs its 5.3 expected goals (XG) at some distance in the process.
Feeding Kane will be Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich.
Gnabry has already offered four assists this season and led Bayern together with Kane, while Olise, who once seemed on the edge of a transfer to Chelsea during his Crystal Palace days, is on three. In the meantime, Kimmich has set up two goals of a team-high 4.3 expected assists (XA) and 28 created opportunities.
During the last three seasons (since 2022-23), Kimmich leads all players in the Champions League for both completed fits (2,525) created as opportunities (83). Last season he was the best player in the competition for line -breaking steps (219).
Then there is Nicolas Jackson, who uses Bayern from Chelsea and could act against his parent club, although any appearance would probably be limited to a Cameo from the bank.
Blues back where they belong
Since their last game in the Champions League in April 2023, the blues have won 12 of their 13 European competitions (excluding qualifications).
That run of course consists of the Run from Chelsea to Conference League Glory last season, while we should not forget that the Enzo Maresca team was also triumphing this summer in the Club World Cup, which was ruled in the final of the European Paris Saint-Germain champions.
It has started a ZO-Zo from the Premier League campaign for Chelsea.
They have won twice and pulled twice, although the way of their draw against Brentford on Saturday – when Fabio Carvalho equalized in the interruption time – will be stabbed.
However, Chelsea has already scored nine times in the Premier League, which leads the division together with Arsenal and Liverpool.
So in the future there are plenty of reasons for Maresca to be confident, especially given the return of Cole Palmer due to injury.
Estevao is another exciting talent. He missed the Brentford match due to illness, but if he made his Champions League debut on Wednesday, he would do this in just 18 years and 46 days.
Prior to the 2025-26 campaign, only three South American players had scored in the competition while they were younger than Dat-Drick in 2024 (18Y 58d), Roque Santa Cruz in 1999 (18Y 71D) and Lionel Messi in 2005 (18Y 131d).
Chelsea is back in #Ucl Promotion this week! pic.twitter.com/vggseggn3y0
– Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) September 15, 2025
Players to watch
Bavaria Munich – Manuel Neuer
Neuer is currently at 99 victories in the competition. Only three players have won 100 Champions League matches – Cristiano Ronaldo (115), Thomas Muller (111) and Iker Casillas (101).
The experienced campaigner (60) has held the most clean sheets and made the most saves (413) from every goalkeeper in the history of Champions League.
With 74.7%, Neuer has the fourth best savings percentage of every goalkeeper to make 50+ Champions League performances, and the best savings percentage of every active goalkeeper to make 50+ Champions League performances.
And if he, as expected, he would be equal to Toni Kroos on 151 Champions League matches.
Only former Bayern Stalwart Muller (163) played more times in the competition between German players.
Chelsea – Cole Palmer
Palmer’s return to fitness has yielded a timely boost for Maresca.
The playmaker scored only five minutes after his introduction of the bank against Brentford. It was his first open-play goal in the Premier League since January, and he also had a game-leading five shots despite the 56th minute.
Palmer was directly involved in eight goals in his last eight club matches in international competitions (three goals, five assists), three of which were in his last such performance in the club World Cup final against PSG (two goals, one assist).
The 23-year-old has now scored 50 club goals, with 44 of those who come for Chelsea and six for Manchester City.
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