Bayern Munich’s Champions League schedule has been released

Bayern Munich got handed one of the toughest possible groups in this week’s Champions League draw. FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Viktoria Plzeň stand in the way of Bayern’s bid to reach the knockouts and win their seventh Champions League title. Now, Bayern also know when they will face who as the official schedule for the group stage has been released.

Bayern open their Champions League campaign away to Inter at the San Siro on the 7th of September. The mammoth clash against Barcelona awaits in the following week on the 13th. Bayern face Barcelona at home first, where they have a good record against the Catalans.

There is a slight hiatus between Matchdays 2 and 3 of the group stage due to the September international break (Germany plays on the 23rd and the 26th). With barely any time to rest afterwards, Bayern go into a double header against neighboring Viktoria Plzeň, which is surprisingly close to Munich, only a three hour drive away. The home game against Plzeň is on the 4th of October, and Bayern follow that up with a Czech trip on the 12th.

There is another two week break after Matchday 4, during which the DFB-Pokal second round games will be played. Bayern are back in Champions League action in what is seemingly the toughest fixture of the group stage: Barcelona away on the 26th of October. Finally, Bayern close out the group with a home game against Inter on the first day of November.

Every Bayern game will be kicking off at 21:00 CET, with the exception of Matchday 3’s home game against Plzeň, which gets an early kickoff at 18:45 CET.

Because of the November World Cup, the Champions League group stage must end by early November, unlike the usual December ending, which means the entire schedule has been jammed into the next eight weeks. It is a very tough schedule reminiscent of that of the COVID-affected 2020/21 season. Needless to say, player conditions, strength, and injuries will play an immense role in determining who is successful in the group stage.