Bayern Munich returns to Champions League action on Tuesday night, December 9th, 2025, hosting Sporting CP at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, at 6:45 pm local time (12:45 pm EST).
Bayern enters the match looking to build on three consecutive victories against German opponents following a disappointing 3-1 loss to Arsenal.
Standing in their way is Sporting CP, the Primeira Liga challengers who are currently riding an impressive nine-game undefeated streak spanning the last two months.
The German giants have an imposing historical record against Portuguese competition at their home stadium, having never lost to a club from Portugal at the Allianz Arena.
Their last defeat to a Portuguese side was a 2015 loss to FC Porto away from home. The two clubs last met in 2009 during the Champions League Round of 16, a contest Bayern dominated with a massive 12-1 aggregate victory.
In the current campaign, Sporting CP is comfortably in eighth place in the Champions League table with 10 points through five matches; their only loss came against Napoli, a 2-1 defeat that marks their last loss across all competitions.
For the home side, coach Vincent Kompany was able to rotate his squad over the weekend, resting Manuel Neuer, Jonathan Tah, and Serge Gnabry completely, while Harry Kane, Aleksandar Pavlović, Josip Stanišić, and Lennart Karl played only the second half of the 5-0 win over Stuttgart.
However, Bayern will be without injured stars Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies.
Furthermore, Luis Díaz will serve the second leg of his two-match suspension, which will force another deployment of the Michael Olise, Karl, and Gnabry attacking line that reportedly struggled to find its rhythm against Arsenal.
Sporting CP, restabilized by coach Rui Borges, exclusively runs a 4-2-3-1 system.
Their main threat is Luis Suárez, the Colombian non-shoulder biting version, who is the team’s leading scorer with 11 goals across all competitions, alongside Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who has captained every match this season.