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Bayern present tall order for Beşiktaş' knockout bow

Bayern München will be aiming to make the most of home advantage in the first leg of their tie against knockout stage debutants Beşiktaş.

Bayern are old hands in the knockout rounds
Bayern are old hands in the knockout rounds ©AFP/Getty Images

Beşiktaş JK will seek to carry their impressive group form into the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds, although FC Bayern München will present a formidable obstacle.

• The Istanbul club became the first Turkish team to win a UEFA Champions League group, finishing top of Group G to reach the round of 16 for the first time, and their opponents present a polar opposite in terms of experience.

• This is Bayern's 14th round of 16 tie, and the German champions – who finished second in Group B – are bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the seventh year in a row.

• This is the only tie in the round of 16 to feature two reigning domestic champions.

Previous meetings
• The teams crossed paths for the only previous time in the 1997/98 group stage, both games ending in 2-0 Bayern victories. Thomas Helmer and Mario Basler got the goals in the first game in Munich.

• The line-ups at Munich's Olympiastadion on 17 September 1997 were:
Bayern: Kahn, Babbel, Matthäus, Rizzitelli (Fink 52), Tarnat, Helmer, Hamann, Basler (Lizarazu 88), Scholl, Strunz, Elber (Jancker 82).
Beşiktaş: Fevzi Tuncay, Erkan Avseren, Topraktepe Serdar (Emre Eren 78), Alpay Özalan, Rahim Zafer, Yankov, Tayfur Havutçu, Mehmet Özdilek (Letchkov 72), Recep Çetin, Oktay Derelioğlu, Amokachi (Mustafa Öztürk 80).

• Carsten Jancker (5) and Helmer again (31) were on target in the first half of the Istanbul fixture.

• Bayern finished first in the section on 12 points, two places and six points above their eliminated Turkish rivals.

• Croatian goalkeeper Marjan Mrmić was part of the Beşiktaş squad although he did not feature in either game. He is now the Turkish team's goalkeeper coach.

Match background

Bayern
• Bayern's round of 16 record is W10 L3. Having won the last six, they have not lost at this stage since an away-goals defeat at the hands of FC Internazionale Milano in 2010/11.

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• Twelves months ago Bayern overcame Arsenal FC 10-2 on aggregate at this stage, winning 5-1 both home and away.

• Their 1997 games with Beşiktaş aside, Bayern's only other contests against Turkish opposition came in the 1972/73 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round. Then they drew 1-1 in the away first leg with Galatasaray AŞ before easing to a 6-0 second-leg success in Munich; Gerd Müller scored three goals across the tie.

• The Munich club won all three home games in Group B: 3-0 at home to both RSC Anderlecht and Celtic FC before a 3-1 defeat of section winners Paris Saint-Germain on matchday six.

• Bayern won all 16 of their European home matches between 17 September 2014 and 15 February 2017, a competition record. The 2-1 loss to Real Madrid CF in the quarter-finals was their first reverse in Munich since a 4-0 defeat by the same opponents in their 2013/14 semi-final second leg.

• Under Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern came second in their group behind Club Atlético de Madrid in 2016/17 – the first time they had failed to win their section since 2009/10, and repeated this season.

Beşiktaş 
• This is the first time Beşiktaş have reached the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. Their best European Cup campaign came in 1986/87 when they got to the quarter-finals before losing 7-0 on aggregate to FC Dynamo Kyiv.

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• Section winners Beşiktaş wrapped up their Group G campaign with a 2-1 win at RB Leipzig, their first victory in Germany on their fifth visit (D1 L3). They scored twice on their four previous visits while conceding six. Their previous trip brought a 0-0 draw at VfL Wolfsburg in the 2009/10 group stage.

• The Turkish outfit have won all three away games in this season's competition, running out 3-1 winners at FC Porto on matchday one and 2-1 at AS Monaco FC.

• Victory at Leipzg was Beşiktaş's sixth in their last 12 European away matches (D3 L3).

• Beşiktaş lost their only previous two-legged knockout tie against a German club 3-1 on aggregate to Borussia Dortmund in the 1989/90 European Cup Winners' Cup first round (0-1 home, 1-2 away).

Coach and player links
• Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes scored twice in West Germany's 5-0 away win against Turkey on 20 December 1975 at the İnönü Stadium, Beşiktaş' home before it was renovated and renamed Beşiktaş Park. Heynckes also featured in a 1972 UEFA European Championship qualifier against Turkey on 25 April 1971, West Germany winning 3-0.

• Beşiktaş coach Şenol Güneş encountered West Germany in three UEFA European Championship qualifiers during his time as a goalkeeper. He kept a clean sheet in Turkey's goalless draw in Izmir on 1 April 1979, and suffered a 2-0 away defeat that December. The nations met again in the preliminaries for the 1984 UEFA European Championship, Turkey losing 3-0 in April 1983.

• Beşiktaş midfielder Tolgay Arslan was born in Paderborn.

• Corentin Tolisso scored in the first leg and converted in the second-leg shoot-out as Olympique Lyonnais beat Beşiktaş on penalties in last season's UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.

• Ricardo Quaresma's two goals helped FC Porto to a 3-1 first-leg victory against Bayern in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals; the German club went through after a 6-1 win in Munich.

Watch Beşiktaş win in Germany on matchday six

• Álvaro Negredo scored Manchester City FC's consolation in a 3-1 UEFA Champions League group stage loss to Bayern in 2013/14.

• Talisca's goal helped SL Benfica player earn a 2-2 draw against Bayern in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg; the German side won 3-2 on aggregate. 

• Pepe helped Real Madrid beat Bayern in the 2014 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, having lost to the Munich outfit on penalties at the same stage two years earlier.

• Have played in Germany:
Duško Tošić (SV Werder Bremen 2007–10)
Ryan Babel (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 2011–12)
Tolgay Arslan (Hamburger SV 2009–15, TSV Alemannia Aachen 2010/11)
Atınç Nukan (RB Leipzig, 2015/16)
Domagoj Vida (Bayer 04 Leverkusen, 2010/11)

• Franck Ribéry spent the second half of 2004/05 at Galatasaray, appearing in a 1-0 home win against Beşiktaş.

• International team-mates:
Arturo Vidal & Gary Medel (Chile)
Thiago Alcántara, Javi Martínez & Álvaro Negredo (Spain)
Arjen Robben & Jeremain Lens, Ryan Babel (Netherlands)

• Arjen Robben scored the opening goal in the Netherlands' 2-0 win against Turkey in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying on 15 October 2013.

• Thomas Müller found the net in Germany's 3-1 win against Turkey in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier on 7 October 2011.

• Pepe was sent off in Portugal's 4-0 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup group stage.

• Have played together:
Tom Starke, Sebastian Rudy & Ryan Babel (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, 2011–12)
David Alaba & Ryan Babel (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, 2010/11)
Rafinha & Adriano (Coritiba, 2004)
Thiago Alcántara & Adriano (FC Barcelona, 2010–13)
Jérôme Boateng & Tolgay Arslan (Hamburger SV, 2009/10)
Arjen Robben & Pepe (Real Madrid CF, 2007–09)
James Rodríguez & Pepe (Real Madrid CF, 2014–17)

• Former Bayern captain and goalkeeper Raimond Aumann helped Beşiktaş win the Turkish league title in 1994/95; he is now Bayern's supporters and fan club coordinator.

Match facts

Bayern
UEFA Champions League squad changes 
In: Manuel Neuer, Sandro Wagner, Kwasi Okyere Wriedt
Out: Marco Friedl

• Joshua Kimmich, Corentin Tolisso and Sebastian Rudy are a booking away from a ban.

• Bayern have won all seven games in 2018, stretching their run of consecutive victories to 13 in all competitions. They were 2-1 victors at VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday thanks to substitute Robert Lewandowski's 90th-minute penalty.

• Bayern's run of 13 consecutive wins is Jupp Heynckes' best as a coach.

• The Bavarian club have won 14 of their 15 home games this season in all competitions – the sole exception a 2-2 draw against Wolfsburg on 22 September.

• On 6 February Bayern prevailed 6-0 at third tier SC Paderborn 07 to reach the semi-finals of the German Cup; they visit Bayer 04 Leverkusen on 17/18 April.

• Lewandowski, named Poland's footballer of the year for the seventh consecutive season on 11 February, has scored in all 11 of Bayern's Bundesliga home games this term to become only the second player ever to achieve this feat – after his current coach Heynckes, for VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1972/73.

• Thiago Alcántara had been out since 22 November due to a thigh injury before playing an hour at Wolfsburg.

• January signing Wagner has two goals in his last three games for Bayern.

• Manuel Neuer has been out since 18 September following his second metatarsal break.

• On 11 February keeper Sven Ulreich extended his contract until 2021.

• Bayern have announced that FC Schalke 04 midfielder Leon Goretzka will move to Munich in the summer.

Beşiktaş
UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Cyle Larin, Vágner Love, Domagoj Vida
Out: Orkan Çınar, Şiyar Kepir, Matej Mitrović, Cenk Tosun

• Tolgay Arslan, Caner Erkin and Talisca will incur a suspension with their next bookings.

• Beşiktaş won only two of their first six games after matchday six, but had been victorious in five of the six before Friday's 1-1 draw at Konyaspor in which Atibe Hutchinson scored his first goal since 26 August.

• The Black Eagles have kept only three clean sheets in their 18 away games in all competitions this season.

• Talisca has seven goals in his last seven Beşiktaş matches.

• Beşiktaş are yet to lose a game when Talisca has scored (W20 D5).

• The 5-0 victory against Kardemir Karabükspor on 10 February was Beşiktaş' biggest win in the Turkish Super League since a 6-1 defeat of Akçaabat Sebatspor on 19 December 2004. January signing Vágner Love opened his Beşiktaş account with two goals against Karabükspor.

• On 21 January Beşiktaş came from behind to win a league game for the first time this season, running out 2-1 victors at Antalyaspor.

• Beşiktaş are unbeaten in 37 home matches in the Turkish Super League, a run stretching back to November 2015.

• Beşiktaş have reached the Turkish Cup semi-finals, beating Osmanlıspor in the last 16 and Gençlerbirliği SK in the quarter-finals; they will play Fenerbahçe SK in the last four.

• A documentary named 'Güzel Adam Süreyya' ('Nice Man Süreyya'), telling the story of Beşiktaş's long-serving kit manager Süreyya Soner, who joined the club in 1981, has been released.