Wednesday 22 October, Club Brugge travel to the Allianz Arena in Munich for a European clash against FC Bayern Munich. The match (kick-off at 21:00) marks another milestone in the rich history of Club Brugge, as it will be the 35th time the Bruges side face a German opponent. Want to be fully prepared for the game? Read the Club Facts below!
THE MATCH
For Club, this will be their 380th European fixture, while Bayern are set for their 539th. In the UEFA Champions League, Club will play their 115th match, 77 of which have been in the group stage, during what is their twelfth campaign in Europe’s premier competition. Bayern, by contrast, are in their 29th campaign, underlining their status as a European powerhouse. They have already played 310 matches in the competition – only Real Madrid (333) and FC Barcelona (311) have more. For Belgian clubs in general, this will be the 145th European encounter with a (West) German opponent.
Over the years, Club Brugge have contested 34 European matches against twelve different German or West German sides. Playing on German soil has often proved a tough challenge: in sixteen away games, Blauw-Zwart managed just one win, alongside five draws and ten defeats. In the Champions League, too, it has been difficult, with two wins, four draws and nine losses against German teams. These figures highlight how demanding it is to take points from German giants, especially away from home.
After two matchdays, Club Brugge sit 13th in the standings with three points from six, following a strong start and a narrow defeat. They opened their European campaign with a convincing 4-1 home win over AS Monaco, with Nicolò Tresoldi, Raphael Onyedika and Hans Vanaken putting the hosts in control before half-time. In the closing stages, Mamadou Diakhon and Ansu Fati each added a goal. On matchday two, they suffered an unfortunate 2-1 defeat away to Atalanta BC. Christos Tzolis gave Club the lead with a stunning strike, but after the break Lazar Samardžić converted a penalty and Mario Pašalić completed the turnaround. Club have five different scorers in this campaign: Nicolò Tresoldi, Raphael Onyedika, Hans Vanaken, Mamadou Diakhon and Christos Tzolis. Tzolis, in particular, is a key figure: he was also the match-winner in the Jupiler Pro League last weekend and has now been decisive 50 times for Club Brugge, with 28 goals and 22 assists, 15 of which have come this season.
Several Club players have links to Germany. Christos Tzolis played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga in 2023–24, Hugo Siquet wore the SC Freiburg shirt from January 2022 to January 2023 and even faced Bayern during that spell. Injured midfielder Ludovit Reis previously featured for VfL Osnabrück and Hamburger SV, while Nicolò Tresoldi is a Hannover 96 academy product and also played in the 2. Bundesliga. Gustaf Nilsson represented Wehen Wiesbaden between 2020 and 2022, and Romeo Vermant was born in Gelsenkirchen in 2004 when his father Sven was playing for Schalke 04. Finally, Shandre Campbell made his Champions League debut on the previous matchday against Atalanta, marking a new chapter in his young career.
THE OPPONENT
Wednesday’s clash will be the third official meeting between Club Brugge and FC Bayern Munich in Europe. The previous encounters came in the 2005–06 season, when the two sides met in the Champions League group stage. In Munich, Club narrowly lost 1-0 after Martin Demichelis reacted quickest to a deflected ball. At Jan Breydel, Club earned a point thanks to a stunning strike from Javier Portillo, cancelling out Claudio Pizarro’s header from a free-kick. FC Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their last 35 home matches in the UCL group stage (33 wins, 2 draws).
The teams have also met twice in friendlies. In 1972, Bayern – featuring stars such as Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer and Paul Breitner – visited De Klokke, where the match ended goalless. In 1981, both clubs took part in a tournament in Aachen, where Club lost the final 5-1, with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – now a Bayern board member – scoring a hat-trick.
Several players have worn both shirts. Jean-Pierre Papin joined Club Brugge at 21 and scored 33 goals in 44 matches in the 1985–86 season. After spells at Olympique Marseille and AC Milan, he signed for Bayern, but injuries limited him to three goals in 27 appearances. Ivan Perišić moved to Club in 2009 and became Belgium’s top scorer with 35 goals before joining Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg and Inter. He later spent the 2019–20 season on loan at Bayern, scoring four times in 22 matches.
Bayern also have Belgian connections. Jean-Marie Pfaff guarded their goal from 1982 to 1988, while Daniel Van Buyten was a defensive mainstay from 2006 to 2014. Goalkeeper Robert Dekeyser also wore the Bayern shirt in 1986–87. Since last season, Vincent Kompany has become the first Belgian to coach Bayern Munich – a historic milestone that adds extra significance to this encounter.
Bayern play their home matches at the Allianz Arena, which holds 70,000 spectators. From 1972 to 2005, the club played at the Olympic Stadium. In 2005, Bayern’s very first European match at their new ground was against… Club Brugge!
MILESTONES
- Christos Tzolis could make his 75th official appearance for Club Brugge.
- Nordin Jackers could make his 40th appearance for Club and his 10th European match (3 for KRC Genk, 6 for Club).
- Mamadou Diakhon could feature in his 10th match for Blauw-Zwart.
- Bjorn Meijer could play his 25th European match for Club Brugge.
- Hugo Siquet could make his 10th European appearance (1 for Standard, 1 for SC Freiburg, 7 for Club).
- Brandon Mechele could make his 40th UCL match (excluding qualifiers) for Club.
THE REFEREE
The match will be officiated by Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumšas, assisted by compatriots Aleksandr Radiuš and Dovydas Sužiedėlis as assistant referees, with Robertas Valikonis as fourth official. In the VAR booth, Jarred Gillett (Australia) will take charge, assisted by Pol van Boekel (Netherlands). The UEFA referee observer is Stavros Tritsonis (Greece) and the UEFA delegate is Iveta Bankova (Bulgaria).
This will be only the third European match for Club Brugge under a Lithuanian referee. Rumšas, 37, hails from the coastal city of Palanga and has officiated at the highest level in Lithuania since 2011, becoming an international referee in 2016. He is in UEFA’s First Category, the second-highest tier. While this is his first Club Brugge match, he has previously refereed games involving KRC Genk (twice), Union SG, Antwerp and even a World Cup qualifier for the Belgian Red Devils.