Bayern Munich vs SSC Napoli Tickets

Bayern Munich are an undisputed giant of the game, not just within the confines of the Bundesliga, where they have won more than any other German side (as of 2023, they have won the domestic title 20 times more than any other rival), but also across the continent, where they silverware winning capabilities are well known.

They first won the European Cup in 1974, beating Atletico Madrid 4-0 in a replay after an edgy 1-1 draw. The impetus for this, and the subsequent titles in the period, was very much sweeper Franz Beckenbauer and goal machine Gerd Muller.

The following year, they retained their title by beating Leeds United 2-0, and they made it a hat-trick of successive successes when they beat French outfit Saint-Etienne 1-0. They went off the boil somewhat in the rest of the decade, perhaps down to the fact that Beckenbauer had left to seek fame and fortune in the United States, with Gerd Muller joining him a couple of years later.

The 1980s proved a fruitless decade in terms of European Cup success, but that was not for want of trying. In 1980/81, Liverpool knocked them out in the Semi-Finals of the competition, and in 1981/82, it was Aston Villa who toppled them, this time in the final.

1986/87 saw them lose another final, this time to FC Porto, a game they were leading in with 13 minutes left to play, only for Artur Jorge’s side to mount a glorious comeback in Vienna.

Semi-Final exits occurred in 1989/90 and 1990/91, as well as in their first foray into the newly formed UEFA Champions League in 1994/95. In 1999, they got through to the final in Barcelona and were leading via a Mario Basler free-kick when the assistant referee put up his board to indicate three minutes of injury time.

Amazingly, there then followed two goals, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, coming off the back of David Beckham’s sweetly struck corners, with Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer netting to leave Bayern Munich players heartbroken and shell shocked on the field of play.

Redemption was not far behind. 2001 saw Die Bayern end a 25-year wait for another title, and it came via penalties against Valencia.

2010 and 2012 were once again UEFA Champions League Final defeats of varying magnitudes of anguish.

Their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan was well deserved, but their penalty shoot-out loss to Chelsea was unexpected and made all the worse by the fact that the final took place at their own home stadium.

2013 saw Bayern Munich back on top, securing a memorable 2-1 win over Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, and 2020 marked their sixth success, coming after a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in an empty stadium in Lisbon, due to coronavirus restrictions.

Napoli, on the other hand, have had little to celebrate when it comes to their involvement in either the European Cup or the UEFA Champions League.

1987/88 was the club’s first attempt at making an impact in the competition, and they were unfortunate to draw Real Madrid in the First Round and were knocked out. In 1990/91, Diego Maradona’s side were felled by Spartak Moscow in round two.

They didn’t return to the competition again until 2011/12, but they were then fairly regular participants for the next decade, albeit in eight attempts; they have only made it to the knockout phase on three occasions, though in 2022/23, they did secure their best finish thus far, a Quarter-Final loss to Serie A side AC Milan.

Bayern Munich vs SSC Napoli Head-to-Head

These two sides have met in Europe in just one campaign, that coming in the group phase of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League.

On the occasion, Toni Kroos gave the Germans an early lead before Holger Badstuber scored an own goal to leave the score level at full-time. In the return fixture, Mario Gomez bagged a hat-trick, and Federico Fernandez scored twice in a 3-2 thriller, a game that also saw both Badstuber and Juan Zuniga sent off.

Bayern Munich vs SSC Napoli Connections

A few players have worn both jerseys over the years. These include Spanish keeper Pepe Reina, South Korean defender Kim Min-jae and Massimo Oddo.