Bayern captain Viggosdottir calls Champions League draw 'a joke' but now welcomes tough tests

Bayern Munich captain reacts to daunting Women's Champions League group

Bayern Munich take on Manchester City in their Women's Champions League opener on Tuesday, beginning a league phase that captain Glodis Perla Viggosdottir first described as "a joke" but now believes could help the German champions.

Having lost to eventual winners Barcelona in last season's semi-finals, Bayern open their next European campaign against Women's Super League champions Manchester City. It will be the first time City have faced a German side in the competition, while Bayern have won seven of their previous 11 meetings with WSL teams in the tournament (L4), including both legs of a quarter-final tie against Manchester United in 2025-26 (3-2 away, 2-1 home).

Bayern did not lose any of their five home matches in last season's Champions League (W4 D1), and they have only lost one of their last 16 on home soil in the competition (W11 D4), going down 2-0 to Lyon in the 2024-25 quarter-finals.

Toughest fixture list

The German giants face a tough fixture list in this season's league stage. Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain will be their opponents from Pot 1, while they must also face Real Madrid from Pot 2, in addition to their meeting with City.

But Viggosdottir has come around to the idea that Bayern will benefit from facing some of Europe's best teams early in the season.

"It was a bit of a joke, but this is the Champions League. You have to play against the best teams," she told Bayern's website. "The tough route could actually be really good for the team, but we have to take it one match at a time."

Bayern have started their domestic title defence with five straight victories, scoring 18 goals in those matches while conceding six, to sit two points clear at the top of the Frauen-Bundesliga table.