Bayern Munich vs RC Lens Tickets

This meeting is something of a David vs Goliath battle. When it comes to two sides with varying degrees of success in Europe, you won’t find much more of a mismatch than Bayern Munich vs RC Lens.

Bayern Munich, as six times winners (up to 2023), are rightly considered one of the biggest teams in Europe. That’s both in terms of historical success and current standing.

The first time Die Bayern tasted success in the competition came in 1974 with a replay win over Atletico Madrid, and they retained the trophy in 1975 following a 2-0 win over Leeds United before completing a hat-trick of successes in 1976 with a victory over Saint-Etienne.

It would take another 25 years for Bayern Munich to add to their haul, with defeats to Aston Villa in 1982, FC Porto in 1987, and Manchester United (most notably) in 1999.

Following that heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, with the Premier League side scoring two goals in injury time, the German side defeated Valencia in 2001 to end their drought.

Defeats in 2010 and 2012 to Inter Milan and Chelsea, respectively, were coupled with wins over Borussia Dortmund in 2013 and Paris Saint-Germain in 2020. All in all, the club is among the most successful in the competition.

Their six wins are bettered only by Real Madrid and AC Milan, and in terms of German sides in the competition, they have won more than all other clubs in the country added together.

Then we come to Racing Club Lens. The French side has won the French title, Ligue 1, on one occasion, and the sum total of their European experience is a number of UEFA Cup runs (including a Semi-Final finish in 1999/00) and two previous group stage adventures in the UEFA Champions League, prior to their involvement in 2023/24.

In both 1998/99 and 2002/03, they collected credible wins against Arsenal and AC Milan but did not get to the knockout phase on either occasion.

Bayern Munich vs RC Lens Head-to-Head

These two have met in one previous European campaign. That came in 2002/03 in the group stage. At the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, a late goal from John Utaka earned Lens a 1-1 draw, and the plucky French outfit then repeated the trick by scoring a 90th-minute equalizer in Munich to complete a thrilling 3-3 draw.

On that occasion, neither side actually qualified from the group phase, with AC Milan and Deportivo La Coruna doing so instead.

Bayern Munich vs RC Lens Connections

Very few individuals have represented both Bayern Munich and RC Lens; among those who have are defensive midfielder Alou Diarra and Valerian Ismael.