After conquering fellow Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund in a historic all-German final in May 2013, Bayern Munich, like legions of other sides, attempted to successfully defend their Champions League crown. Unfortunately for die Roten, now under the guidance of world-renowned tactician Pep Guardiola, their dreams were shattered in a fashion that their followers never would have envisioned.
Indeed, the "German Machine" ran out of steam as they were bullied 4-0 at home (5-0 on aggregate) by Real Madrid in a fashion that was quite reminiscent of their own pummeling of Barcelona just a season prior.
Well, that was then. Paired with Porto this time around in the quarter-finals, several players were feeling confident - a tad too much, perhaps - at their chances, something that they will be re-thinking now. After all, despite the class of the Portuguese powerhouse, die Roten had slightly edged out the Dragões in prior their quarter-final meetings in 1991 and 2000. More significant, prior to last week, Bayern had only lost to Portuguese opposition once, during the May 22, 1987 Champions League final.
Injuries have made Guardiola's task a lot more difficult as they took on his former colleague Julen Lopetegui sans the likes of David Alaba, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Javi Martinez, Mehdi Benatia, and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Meanwhile, with their impressive 3-1 win at the Estádio do Dragão mean that Lopetegu's men continue to be the only side without a loss in this competition. Should they progress to the final four, things look even better, as the last two times they did so - in 1987 and 2004 - they were the ones to lift the trophy at the end.
Porto celebrate their second Champions League triumph in 2004
Meanwhile, the Bundesliga champions will be desparate to avoid another Champions League disappointment as pressure continues to mount on Guardiola. Despite easily rolling along to another domestic title, failure to make it to the final in their own capital will be nothing short of a let-down for what many experts view as one of the strongest sides in Europe.
So given this, how do Bayern's chances look at progressing? Is it an already foregone conclusion, or can Guardiola use the vital away goal scored in Portugal to turn things around? We take a look at their past record against their current stats to see if they will be able to make German football fans happy and make sure they are one of the teams participating in this year's final in Berlin.
Dominance at the Allianz Arena
So far, Bayern Munich have won all four of their home-based European clashes, and more important, are yet to concede a single goal. They have outscored their opponents 13 to nil and obviously will need to do more of that should they wish to join the likes of Barcelona and any of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Juventus, or Monaco in the semi-finals.
Home field advantage: Bayern have been unstoppable at the Allianz so far in Europe this season
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Of course, this will be easier said than done. Bayern's history, unfortunately for their legions of supporters, at this crucial juncture does not look good.
May 2000 - When a win is not enough
After a tough quarter-final draw with Porto in which they just scraped by during the 1999/2000 Champions League tournament, Bayern were then matched up with Real Madrid in the next stage. In what would become déjà vu 14 years later as the La Liga giants lifted their 10th trophy, they would progress to - and win - the 2000 final after powering past their German opponents on aggregate.
However, unlike in 2014, the tie back at the turn of the century was a much closer-contested affair. Yet, a loss in Madrid - to the tune of 2-0 - would already decide Bayern's fate. Although they defeated the record-Champions League winners 2-1 in Munich, Nicolas Anelka's away goal would be enough to get the job done for Real Madrid and leave Bayern wondering what could have been.
April 2005 - A heavy loss at Stamford Bridge
Pitted against Chelsea during the 2004/2005 Champions League quarter-finals, Bayern Munich suffered a crushing 4-2 loss in London as they were simply outplayed from start to finish. It will certainly be a bitter memory for star midfielder Schweinsteiger, who thought he had pulled his side level. But a brace from Frank Lampard and a late goal from Didier Drogba were enough to make Michael Ballack's injury-time strike a moot point.
Despite fighting back 3-2 during the home leg, it was not enough to prevent them tumbling out of the competition as they would lose 6-5 on aggregate.
Lampard's brace was instrumental in making sure Bayern were unable to overcome a two-goal away deficit a decade ago
This, by far, is the stat that will really concern die Roten fans: Tomorrow will represent the fifth time Bayern will have to contend with a two goal deficit away from home.
In four prior attempts - including the aforementioned recent matches with Chelsea and Real Madrid - when die Roten have lost their away leg by a goal margin of two, Bayern Munich have not been able to overcome this to progress.
Simply put, things don't look to be easy for the hosts. With domestic success a guarantee, die Bayern will have to find a way past a bad historical precedent - and wish that Porto decides to take a day off at the office - as their fans will be hoping that the Allianz Arena will spur them on as they seek to complete their second Treble in two seasons.
Guardiola will have plenty to ponder over as he tries to find a way past Bayern's two-goal disadvantage
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