2008–09 FC Bayern Munich season

Reserve strikers Jan Schlaudraff (to Hannover 96) and Sandro Wagner (to MSV Duisburg) left the club, but found no replacements.

FC Köln on 26 July[8] Bayern travelled to Japan for a guestplay at Urawa Red Diamonds, beating the hosts 4–2.

[9] On 5 August, Bayern hosted Internazionale in the Franz Beckenbauer Cup for the final test before the regular season, losing 1–0.

[13] After another draw at Dortmund, the succeeding week brought two squad changes for Munich, as Marcell Jansen left the club for Hamburg[14] while Massimo Oddo was loaned out from Milan.

FC Köln in the Bundesliga and Steaua București in the Champions League were followed up with a 2–5 loss at home against rival Werder Bremen and another away at Hannover 96 (0–1) on 27 September.

[18] After a victory at home against Arminia Bielefeld[19] Bayern drew level in the Champions League at Fiorentina on 1 November.

[35][36] Munich won all other games in the month, including a 7–1 in the second leg against Sporting CP, thus achieving a record aggregate of 12–1.

[37] After 5–1 defeat in the league at VfL Wolfsburg,[38] a direct rival for the championship, Bayern suffered another severe loss (4–0) at the hands of Barcelona.

[40] In the Bundesliga, Munich managed to win against underdogs Eintracht Frankfurt and Arminia Bielefeld, but a home defeat at the hands of Schalke 04 led to the dismissal of coach Jürgen Klinsmann.

[41] Bayern won its first three games under Heynckes as coach, defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach, Energie Cottbus and Bayer Leverkusen.

A draw at 1899 Hoffenheim led to a delicate situation before the last game, where second-place Bayern hosted third-place VfB Stuttgart.

[42] As fourth-place Hertha BSC lost and Wolfsburg won, the game eventually just decided that Bayern would go to the Champions League directly while Stuttgart would go to the qualification.

[44] They finished the group stage undefeated in first place and eliminated Sporting CP via a record aggregate margin in the first knockout round, but then fell to Barcelona in the quarter-final.

Club officials spoke of a "massive humiliation" and being "taken apart" after the 0–4 in the first leg which Bayern played without its top defender Philipp Lahm.

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