Kane on fire, Neuer on verge of record against Pafos

Bayern are set to face a team from Cyprus in the Champions League for the first time ever as they take on Pafos in the 2025/26 league phase. The Bavarians boast a flawless record to date against Cypriot clubs, including some famous big wins in the 1970s and 80s. Here’s the key stats and facts ahead of Tuesday’s game.

Kane continues to score

It isn’t just Bayern’s perfect record of five wins from as many Bundesliga games this season that sees them head to Cyprus full of confidence. The 3-1 victory over Chelsea was also the 22nd time in a row they had kicked off a Champions League campaign with three points, extending their record run in the competition.

Harry Kane was key to that triumph over the Club World Cup holders with his brace, taking his Champions League tally to 21 goals in only 26 appearances as a Bayern player. That’s a return of 0.81 goals per game, which only Gerd Müller (0.97) and Robert Lewandowski (0.88) can beat for Bayern in European competition.

Ex-Bayern man Thorsten Fink assesses Pafos:

Bayern’s biggest European wins

The goal now for Kane and the team is to continue their good early form in their first European away trip of the season. It’ll be the first competitive meeting between Bayern and Pafos, but not FCB’s first encounter with clubs from the Mediterranean island.

Bayern have faced Cypriot teams six times before and won them all by a commanding aggregate scoreline of 31-2. Those include a 9-0 beating of Omonia Nicosia in October 1972 and a 10-0 thrashing of Anorthosis Famagusta in September 1983 – Bayern’s two biggest wins in continental competition. Those two goals conceded came in one game, meaning clean sheets in five out of those six.

The reigning champions of Cyprus have only faced German opposition once before, being beaten 1-0 at home by Heidenheim in last season’s Conference League.

Neuer on verge of personal milestone

Bayern will once again look to Manuel Neuer to shore things up at the back. The goalkeeper has already brought up some personal milestones in Europe this season. The win over Chelsea was his 100th in the Champions League, becoming only the fourth player to reach a century after Cristiano Ronaldo (115), Thomas Müller (111) and Iker Casillas (101).

It was also his 151st appearance in the Champions League, going level with Xavi and Toni Kroos in sixth place in the all-time list. If Neuer features in Cyprus on Tuesday, he’ll move level with Karim Benzema in fifth place on 152. The record for a German player is held by Müller with 163.