There’s still so much at stake for Feyenoord heading into the final two stages of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group phase, with the Dutch side positioned in the play-off slots, both just three points away from elimination and three points short of automatic last-16 progression. They approach this match after a frustrating 1-1 stalemate with mid-tier Willem II over the weekend, leaving them fourth in the Eredivisie and battling to ensure UCL competition next year.
However, their performance in this tournament is solid, with just one loss across their last five UCL matches (W3, D1). They’ve been thrilling to watch for neutrals, netting 14 goals in their previous six European fixtures—their highest in a campaign in this tournament since 1999/00. The exciting character of their games is further emphasized by the fact no team’s UCL matches this season have witnessed more combined goals (29), and they could become one of only three clubs to have both scored and conceded 15+ goals in their opening seven UCL contests of a season.
Bayern Munich’s arrival certainly suggests goals as they’ve triumphed in each of their last five outings across all competitions, finding the net 20 times in the process. Vincent Kompany’s in-form squad land in the Netherlands with tasks still remaining, as their slow start to this season means they begin the round a point behind the top-eight.
Lifting the morale in the visiting camp will be Bayern’s excellent record against Dutch adversaries, with no losses in any of the last eight UCL matches against such teams (W4, D4), albeit unable to win the last two. These two squads haven’t faced off since way back in 2001/02, when Bayern remained undefeated across both meetings (W1, D1).
Key players: Feyenoord’s Santiago Giménez could become the first player to strike 11 goals in European action for the club since Jon Dahl Tomasson in 2002. If he plays, this will be counterpart Harry Kane’s 50th UCL game—he hasn’t scored in the tournament since Bayern’s 4-1 loss to Barcelona in October—yet he still flaunts an impressive record (G34).
Crucial stat: Bayern have conceded first in five of their last six UCL away fixtures (W1, D1, L4).
