Bayern Munich vs Chelsea LIVE
The highlight of the first round of Champions League games is, arguably, in Munich tonight as the Blues return to the scene of their 2012 triumph to kick off their League Phase campaign. Two teams who are expected to go far in the competition face off on matchday one.
For Chelsea, the start of the season has been somewhat frustrating. They remain unbeaten after four Premier League games but were underwhelmed in draws with likes of Crystal Palace and Brentford. This is the Blues' first venture outside London since the season started and take on a Bayern team who have started the season with five straight wins.
Bayern will be in buoyant mood tonight, then, as they put their 34-game unbeaten run at home in the Champions League group stage on the line, and could turn to Nicolas Jackson, on loan from Chelsea but allowed to play due to UEFA rules. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Simon Collings.
Bayern Munich vs Chelsea latest news
- NO GOAL! Palmer second ruled out
- GOAL! Kane adds a second
- GOAL! Palmer pulls one back with stunner
- GOAL! Kane adds second from spot
- GOAL! Chalobah own goal
Full-time
21:56 , Alex Young6min: Santos picks up a late booking... and that’s full-time!
Bayern 3-1 Chelsea
21:54 , Alex Young94min: Jackson tries his luck from the halfway line, but it’s not troubling Sanchez.
Bayern 3-1 Chelsea
21:51 , Alex Young91min: Jackson is on in the first of six added minutes.
NO GOAL!
21:50 , Alex Young89min: Nope, he is offside. Santos delayed the pass too long.
GOAL!
21:49 , Alex Young89min: A late lifeline from Palmer! Santos spots his run into the box and Palmer pokes it between Neuer’s legs!
Simon Collings reports
21:45 , Alex YoungIt says a bit that Sanchez has been one of Chelsea's better players, and they're losing 3-1.
Bayern 3-1 Chelsea
21:41 , Alex Young81min: Another roll of the dice as Estevao replaces Fernandez.
Bayern 3-1 Chelsea
21:39 , Alex Young79min: Bayern are finding this so easy, strolling to victory.
Bayern 3-1 Chelsea
21:37 , Alex Young75min: Those two substitutes haven’t given Chelsea the impetus required.
Bayern 3-1 Chelsea
21:29 , Alex Young69min: Chelsea getting outclassed. Garnarcho and Andrey Santos are on, replacing James and Neto.
Bayern 3-1 Chelsea
21:28 , Alex Young68min: Olise fizzes a bending effort narrowly wide of the far post.
Chelsea chasing shadows.
Simon Collings reports
21:26 , Alex YoungAnother goal that will surely anger Maresca. Chelsea played themselves into trouble.
GOAL!
21:24 , Alex Young63min: Is that game, set and match in Munich?
Kane adds a third, seemingly out of nothing, with a sublime finish after Gusto loses possesion.
Simon Collings reports
21:22 , Alex YoungWow, what a save that is from Sanchez. He often comes under fire, but twice in a matter of minutes he has kept Chelsea in this.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
21:21 , Alex Young60min: HUGE save from Sanchez to deny Olise, who really had to score!
Kane does brilliantly to cut to the byline and drag it back, and Olise has the whole goal to aim at from six yards out, but Sanchez is able to dive across and make a one-hand stop.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
21:18 , Alex Young57min: Point in case! Bayern break again and play in Kane on the overlap for a shot on goal, which Sanchez saves well.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
21:17 , Alex Young55min: A good break by Bayern ends with Luis Diaz firing a weak effort on goal.
Chelsea are really pushing but the hosts are still very dangerous on the break,
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
21:15 , Alex Young54min: Chelsea have started the second half well, just as they did in the first. But Joao Pedro continues to struggle to impact the game.
Simon Collings reports
21:13 , Alex YoungThe left side of Bayern's defence has struggled all night, and now Kompany is forced into a change. That could help Chelsea get back into this.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
21:12 , Alex Young50min: An early blow for Bayern in this second half as Stanisic is forced off. Boey is on.
Second half!
21:06 , Alex Young46min: And we’re back underway!
A change at the break as Tah is replaced by Kim for Bayern.
Simon Collings reports
20:59 , Alex YoungI think all in all, that was decent from Chelsea.
It was a positive start - and then they were off it for a minute, with Bayern duly punishing them. But the response and goal from Palmer was excellent.
Three goals in nine minutes leave this game finely poised at the break.
Chelsea started very well, but Bayern soon grew into the game and were firmly on top at the whistle.
Half-time!
20:50 , Alex Young48min: There’s the whistle.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
20:47 , Alex Young46min: Two minutes added on.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
20:47 , Alex Young45min: Bayern pressure at the end of the first half.
Another corner comes in, Sanchez fumbles it and gives away another corner.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
20:44 , Alex Young42min: Chelsea half-clear a Bayern corner, and Olise runs onto the loose ball and sends a shot bouncing towards the far bottom corner... but it spins wide with Sanchez scrambling.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
20:42 , Alex Young40min: Appeals for another Bayern penalty as Pavlovic takes a tumble, but it’s all very half-arsed.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
20:40 , Alex Young38min: A super chance for Laimer, who is found darting into the area by Olise, but he drags his shot wide of the far post.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
20:38 , Alex Young36min: Chelsea have their tails up and are pushing for an equaliser as Neto flashes a shot wide of the near post.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
20:35 , Alex Young33min: It’s getting very feisty as Joao Pedro just runs into Olise.
Simon Collings reports
20:32 , Alex YoungThat Chelsea right side so, so lethal there. Beautiful finish from Palmer, too. Game on.
Bayern 2-1 Chelsea
20:32 , Alex Young30min: In the build-up to the goal, Neto was wiped out on the halfway line. Tah is booked for it.
Maresca is absolutely fuming and gets a yellow card of his own.
GOAL!
20:31 , Alex Young29min: Palmer pulls one back straight away!
A stunning run from his own half, a quick one-two, and then a first-time finish into the roof of the net!
Simon Collings reports
20:30 , Alex YoungTonight always felt like a proper test for Chelsea at this level. It's now a huge test of their character after a chastening few minutes.
GOAL!
20:29 , Alex Young27min: Kane, obviously, makes no mistake.
PENALTY TO BAYERN!
20:27 , Alex Young26min: Kane taken out by Caicedo.
Simon Collings reports
20:25 , Alex YoungMaresca not a happy man after that goal. He could be moaning about the free-kick being awarded, which looked soft, or his side's defence sleeping at a set-piece.
Bayern Munich 1-0 Chelsea
20:24 , Alex YoungCorrection: it’s a Chalobah own goal. Very unlucky.
GOAL!
20:23 , Alex Young20min: Deadlock broken!
The free kick hits the referee, so it’s a drop ball which Bayern play out wide for Olise to drill across goal and Upamecano taps in at the back post!
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:22 , Alex Young19min: Another free kick for Bayern, this time 30 yards out and dead centre...
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:20 , Alex Young18min: A far more even contest now after Chelsea’s fast start.
Cucurella tries to find Joao Pedro running through the line, but the striker has strayed offside.
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:17 , Alex Young16min: Olise floats the ball in... and it’s thoroughly overhit, and to about five offside players.
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:17 , Alex Young15min: Cucurella penalised for having the football kicked at his arm from half a yard away. Bayern have a good chance to send the ball into the box here.
Simon Collings reports
20:16 , Alex YoungChelsea's right flank is looking very slick. James is dropping deep from midfield into the defence, which gives Gusto the licence to get forward and overlap Palmer - who is cutting inside to create space out wide.
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:14 , Alex Young12min: Time and again, Chelsea are making progress down the right-hand side.
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:12 , Alex Young10min: Luis Diaz with a wild attempt from 30 yards. Bayern starting to string a few passes together.
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:11 , Alex Young9min: Kane’s first touch is a headed attempt off target.
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:09 , Alex Young7min: Fernandez gets played in by Joao Pedro and has to take a first-time shot, but opts to control first and Bayern are able to block.
Simon Collings reports
20:07 , Alex YoungA positive start from Chelsea, who - so far - don't look like a side with five players making their Champions League debut.
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:06 , Alex Young4min: Chelsea have started on the front foot. No messing around in these early stages.
Bayern Munich 0-0 Chelsea
20:05 , Alex Young3min: Chelsea players are calling for a penalty after the ball hits Tah, but the referee isn’t interested.
Kick-off!
20:01 , Alex Young1min: Here we go!
The teams are out.
Final prep done. It’s almost time.
Nicolas Jackson has been reuniting with some Chelsea friends ahead of kick-off.
Enzo Maresca to TNT Sports
19:21 , Alex Young"The beginning of the game is very important, the first 10-15 minutes, but it is a game of 90 to 100 minutes. For sure the beginning is very important tonight.
"[Bayern] are for sure a very good team. For me one of the favourites in this competition. But at the same time I think any team can have weakness and we are going to try to exploit them tonight.
“I feel pressure. When you are a Chelsea manager or a Chelsea player you have the duty to try to win all of the games. So we also have pressure and we are going to try to win the game."
A peek inside the dressing room.
Simon Collings reports
19:03 , Alex YoungCole Palmer's return is big for Chelsea, but it will be intriguing to see how this team knits together.
Looks like Reece James will be in midfield, with Enzo Fernandez as the No10.
Bayern team news in full
18:51 , Alex YoungBayern XI: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanisic; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Gnabry, Luis Diaz; Kane
Subs: Ulreich, Urbig, Kim, Goretzka, Bischof, Boey, Kiala, Karl, David Daiber, Jackson
Bayern Munich XI
18:49 , Alex Young...and the hosts!
𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗫𝗜 𝓿𝓼. 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗦𝗘𝗔 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mbK2tNlbKk
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) September 17, 2025
Chelsea team news in full
18:48 , Alex YoungChelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, James; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro
Subs: Jorgensen, Curd, Fofana, Acheampong, Hato, Andrey Santos, Buonanotte, Garnacho, George, Estevao, Gittens, Guiu
Chelsea XI
18:46 , Alex YoungHere’s how the Blues look!
Your Champions League Chelsea. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/3QZQmaiSKI
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 17, 2025
The teams will be announced soon, within the next 15 minutes.
Latest odds
18:22 , Alex YoungIt looks like the bookies are backing our prediction.
- Bayern Munich to win: 8/13
- Draw: 5/2
- Chelsea to win: 16/5
(Odds via Betfair, subject to change.)
New-look Chelsea to learn place among Europe's elite in Bayern test
18:13 , Alex YoungNothing underlines Chelsea’s return to Europe’s top table quite like a trip to the Allianz Arena, writes Simon Collings.
It was there, 13 years ago, that the Blues lifted the Champions League for the first time, beating Bayern Munich in their own backyard.
Much has changed at Stamford Bridge since then. The Chelsea side that triumphed in 2012 was packed with experience, while today’s group has a youthful core.
The club have been absent from the Champions League for the past two seasons, and only 11 members of the current squad have played in it before. That is why captain Reece James, part of the team that won the competition under Thomas Tuchel in 2021, will be so important.
“The club has had change [since winning the Champions League in 2021] but I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a bad thing as we qualified for this competition last season and went on to win two trophies,” said James.
“With the changes, we started slowly but last season we came on leaps and bounds.”
A clash with Bayern Munich will show Chelsea exactly how far they have come.
Can Nicolas Jackson play for Bayern tonight?
18:05 , Alex YoungUEFA regulations say yes.
According to the governing body’s ‘Statement on Integrity of Competitions’, clubs cannot insert clauses that prevent their own players from facing them in European competition.
UEFA rules say that clubs cannot apply “any influence whatsoever over the players that another club may [or may not] field in a match.”
As such, players are able to face their parent sides in any UEFA tournament.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has spoken about Jackson being cleared to play and says he has no issue with the loan rules.
“For me it’s normal,” the Italian said in the pre-match press conference.
“I’m from Italy. I played many years in Spain and this rule when you are on loan you can play, so for me it’s OK.”
Bayern Munich vs Chelsea prediction
17:57 , Alex YoungBayern Munich are a tough opponent at the best of times, and, unfortunately for Chelsea, they come into this Champions League matchup on top of their game.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues also fly to Munich somewhat depleted. His stunning cameo against Brentford might have led people to forget that Palmer is still returning from an injury, while Joao Pedro is, in the manager’s words, “not at 100 per cent”. Even Estevao has been struck down with illness.
Chelsea will need to replicate the miracle of Munich if they are to come away with anything other than defeat.
Bayern Munich to win, 3-1
Early Bayern team news
17:49 , Alex YoungNicolas Jackson, on loan from Chelsea, is not expected to start but could come off the bench.
Raphael Guerreiro is unavailable for Bayern after suffering an abdominal injury against Hamburger SV last time out.
Alphonso Davies (ACL) and Hiroki Ito (foot) are both out, too, meaning Vincent Kompany has no natural left-back at his disposal.
Sacha Boey, naturally right-sided, will likely be forced to deputise.
Former Chelsea youngster Jamal Musiala will also miss the match after being injured at the Club World Cup.
Early Chelsea team news
17:42 , Alex YoungCole Palmer is expected to return to Chelsea’s starting lineup tonight.
Palmer’s only previous start this season came in the 0-0 draw at home to Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.
He then suffered a groin injury that saw him miss wins over West Ham and Fulham, as well as England’s latest round of World Cup qualifiers.
After one-and-a-half training sessions, Palmer was fit to appear from the bench at Brentford on Saturday night, where he scored Chelsea’s first goal in a 2-2 draw.
Marc Cucurella is also expected to reprise his left-back role after only coming on at half-time at the weekend. At right-back, Wesley Fofana will also likely make way, with either Reece James or Malo Gusto in line to start against Bayern.
Estevao has travelled with the squad and could return to the starting line-up if he has recovered from the illness that kept him out of the short trip to Brentford.
Joao Pedro will lead the line despite not being 100 per cent fit ahead of that match.
Where to watch Bayern Munich vs Chelsea
17:35 , Alex YoungTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 2. Coverage will begin at 7pm BST ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Welcome
17:29 , Alex YoungGood evening and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Champions League clash between Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
A rematch of the 2012 final, at the same ground, is the highlight of matchday one of the League Phase as both teams look to get off to a statement start.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST. Stick with us.
