The Bavarian juggernauts aim to bounce back from their first defeat of the campaign with a complete performance against Sporting, who are also chasing a spot in the Top 8 of the League Phase.
Bayern Munich will be excited to return home for their next Champions League fixture, especially after suffering their first defeat in the previous round away at Arsenal. Since then, the Bavarians won all three domestic matches they played, including the recent 5-0 away at Stuttgart.
Playing at the Allianz Arena has been impossible for dozens of teams over the past decade and more. Bayern Munich’s last home defeat in a group or league stage match dates back to late 2013. Since then, they have won 34 out of 36 matches at home (D2).
Sporting CP have been in respectable form too and boast a 12-match unbeaten run across all competitions. Most importantly, they achieved great feats in the Champions League lately, winning a point against Juventus and beating Marseille at home.
Their last defeat in all competitions came away at Napoli, so fans of the Lions have every right to be worried ahead of this clash.
How the bookies view it: Overwhelming home advantage
While Sporting would be a worthy adversary to any top club, bookmakers ruled out their chances almost completely, giving the Bavarians extreme betting advantage,
You can currently back Bayern Munich at around 1/4, while Sporting are available at 9/1. You can also opt for the draw, which is available at 11/2.
Recent head-to-head: Some of Sporting's worst moments
The last clashes between Bayern Munich and Sporting happened over 15 years ago, and away fans would rather not talk about what happened in 2009. The teams met in the 1/8 finals of the Champions League and the Bavarians obliterated the Lions.
The two legs ended at 12-1 on aggregate for Bayern Munich, and the match in Germany was a 7-1 win.
Further back in time, the teams also met in the 2006 edition of the UCL, which saw a 0-0 in Munich and a 1-0 win for Bayern away in Portugal.
Players to watch: Kane is chasing records
Vincent Kompany decided to give Harry Kane some rest on Saturday, playing him for only 30 minutes in the second half. And in less than 1/3 of a match, the Englishman scored a hat-trick.
Kane already has 27 goals this season and he scored them in 21 fixtures – that’s how good he is right now. And since he joined Bayern Munich in 2023, he has scored 16 goals in 15 UCL home matches.
Probable line-ups
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanisic, Kimmich, Pavlovic, Gnabry, Karl, Olise, Kane
Sporting CP: Silva, Araujo, Inacio, Diomande, Fresneda, Simoes, Hjulmand, Pote, Trincao, Quenda, Suarez
Anything else catch the eye?
As much as we respect Sporting and appreciate their fine form, Bayern Munich in the Champions League is a different kind of beast. And the odds reflect the difference in class. Bookmakers expect at least Over 3.5 goals and while we generally agree, we can’t guarantee that Sporting will score.
Bayern Munich have scored 36 goals in nine home matches this season in all competitions, as well as 3+ goals in both UCL home games. Unfortunately for Sporting, we expect the same outcome on Tuesday.
We anticipate a 3-1 win, while it is very possible we see even more than four goals. All 22 of Bayern Munich’s matches this season have crossed the three-goal mark, while 16 featured at least four goals.
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