Thomas Müller and Bayern Munich often play in a special kit during Oktoberfest, but are their results particularly special during the famous festival? - © IMAGO

bundesliga

Do Bayern Munich boast a better record during Oktoberfest?

23.09.2024

Bayern Munich’s home game during the 2024 Oktoberfest sees none other than champions Bayer Leverkusen visit the Allianz Arena for a huge encounter on Matchday 5. So, do Bayern tend to get into the festive mood during Munich’s famous beer festival?

bundesliga.com looks into Bayern’s record, which may surprise some of you…

A visit to Munich is tough for opposition teams at any time of year. Germany’s most successful club have played 1,006 Bundesliga matches at home prior to Matchday 5 of 2024/25 and have won very nearly 75 percent of them, netting an average of 2.7 goals per game.

Watch: Bayern’s 2024 Oktoberfest visit

Oktoberfest has also brought some remarkable results down the years.

In 2023, Bayern thrashed Bochum 7-0 for their biggest Bundesliga win at home during the Wiesn, as the festival is often referred to locally. Go back 40 years more to 1983 and there was the famous 10-0 victory over Anorthosis Famagusta for the club’s biggest-ever European win.

And of course, we can’t forget the date of 22 September 2015 – remember that Oktoberfest mainly takes place in September, not October – when Robert Lewandowski made history (in many ways) with his five-goal haul in nine minutes off the bench against Wolfsburg.

Watch: Lewandowski’s five-goal salvo in all its glory

But do Bayern really save their best for Oktoberfest? Not necessarily…

A look at the stats for their home games during and outside of the festive window suggests that fans often need an extra Maß or two down at the Wiesn to drown some sorrows.

The team’s win rate at home during Oktoberfest drops to 65 percent compared to fixtures played outside of that period in Munich (75 percent). They draw more (25 vs. 16 percent) and in fact tend to lose a greater proportion of fixtures (11 vs. nine percent). Although their return for scoring goals remains at 2.7 per game, they do tend to concede more (1.0 vs. 0.9).

When looking at their last 10 Bundesliga matches at the Allianz Arena to be played during the world’s largest Volksfest, Bayern have actually only won half of them and lost two, although the most recent of those defeats came in 2019 (2-1 vs. Hoffenheim).

That being said, 10 defeats in only 93 matches played at home during Oktoberfest is not a bad return over 60 years. And those 10 losses have come against 10 different teams, meaning no opponent has won in Munich during the Wiesn more than once.

Watch: Bayern and Leverkusen set for Goaltoberfest

Leverkusen, who are the guests in 2024, have come to town four times before during the festival but are not among those 10 teams to claim a win during the festivities. Their record reads three defeats and a draw by an aggregate score of 11-3.

Bayern will wear their now traditional special-edition Oktoberfest jersey against Leverkusen

Their last visit in 2022 ended in a heavy 4-0 defeat. As a side note, that was Gerardo Seoane’s final game in charge of Leverkusen, prompting the arrival of ex-Bayern man Xabi Alonso. We all know how well that turned out…

Could he and his defending champions once again dampen spirits in Munich at a time when the whole city is in a state of celebration? Follow all the build-up and action HERE!