Bayern Munich Have a Huge Advantage for UEFA Champions League Final

You'd be forgiven for not picking Bayern Munich to make it to the final of the UEFA Champions League because, frankly, nobody else picked it either.

The German giants—who aren't even going to win their own domestic tournament—did the unthinkable and took down the hotly favored Real Madrid to progress through to the final, where they will play Chelsea for Europe's most prestigious trophy.

Bayern Munich will head in to the match with a huge advantage that no other side has in the Champions League final—they're playing it in their home city of Munich.

Yup. Their biggest match all season will be a home game.

Rarely will a side reach the final of the Champions League when it's being played in their home country, let alone in their home city—the history books show this to be true.

Going back through the last 20 years of Champions League finals, only three times has a club reached the final when it was being hosted in their home country—Manchester United (2011), Borussia Dortmund (1997) and Juventus (1996).

United would go down 3-1 to Barcelona, whilst both Dortmund and Juventus would chalk up victory in their respective finals.

Yet neither of these teams were fortunate enough to play it on their home pitch.

United took on Barcelona at Wembly, Borussia Dortmund took on Juventus at the Olympiastadion and Juventus took on Ajax at the Stadio Olympio.

All not their home grounds.

Thus Bayern Munich head into the final of the UEFA Champions League with a huge advantage that no other side in the last 20 years of the prestigious tournament has ever had.

The Allianz Arena will, no doubt, be in a frenzy—as will the entire city of Munich—as their hometown hopefuls do battle on football's biggest stage. And that stage just happens to be in their own backyard.

It doesn't make it any smaller; it doesn't make it any less significant.

But for Bayern Munich, it will give them an advantage that nobody else has ever had.

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