Legendary record and a striking paradox: Bayern Munich fear a repeat of the Manchester City nightmare

Bayern Munich head into their eagerly awaited clash with Arsenal boasting impressive figures at home in the first stage of the Champions League. But what Manchester City pulled off around 13 years ago offers the London club hope.

Bayern host Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening in one of the standout fixtures of the third round of the league phase.

Statistics from the official Champions League website tell a daunting story. Bayern have gone 39 home matches unbeaten in the group stage or league phase, winning 37 and drawing two.

Here's the irony. Their last home defeat at this stage came against an English side, a 3-2 loss to Manchester City in December 2013. That opens the door for Arsenal.

The German giants have also scored in each of their last 23 Champions League matches, and their last eight games in the competition have produced 44 goals, an average of 5.5 per match.

Against Arsenal, the Bavarians have won 8 of the 15 previous Champions League meetings, with the English side taking just four.

Arsenal arrive on a roll, though. They have won their last 14 matches in the league phase of the Champions League, seven of them away from home.