Vincent Kompany's side sit atop the Bundesliga with three wins from three, 14 goals scored and only two conceded. Enzo Maresca meanwhile has overseen a Premier League start of two wins and two draws from four, nine goals scored and three conceded.
Bayern's devastating home form in the UCL
Though the West Londoners are the reigning Club World Cup champions, taking on all comers in that tournament, and they've won 12 of their 13 European games since they were last in the UCL in 2022/23, they'll likely have their work cut out.
That's because Bayern have only lost one of their last 11 home games against English teams in the Champions League (W8, D2).
Those victories have come against Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea themselves, whilst their only loss was against Liverpool in 2019.
The West Londoners have fond memories of Munich, of course, for it was there where they triumphed in the 2012 final to lift the UCL trophy for the first time in their history, and they may draw some inspiration from Bayern's league phase results from last season.
Losses against Aston Villa, Barcelona and Feyenoord were regrettable, as was a poor performance against Celtic in the knockout-stage playoff.
That said, Bayern's win percentage is the highest of any team in the group/league phase of the Champions League (73%) - winning 93 of their 128 matches outside of the knockout stages - since UEFA decided to remove the second group stage of the competition back in 2003/04.
Neuer on the verge of history
Club legend Manuel Neuer needs only one more win to become just the fourth player in history to reach a century of victories in the competition, providing some extra individual motivation on the night.
Cristiano Ronaldo (115), former club colleague Thomas Muller (111) and Iker Casillas (101) are the only three players to reach that mark to date.
Neuer has also kept the most clean sheets (60) and made the most saves (413) of any custodian in Champions League history, whilst making the eighth most appearances (150) in the competition.
Another Bayern ace who is likely to be extra motivated is in-form Harry Kane. The England captain has 11 goals in all competitions already, but needs to improve upon a goals record against the Blues that has seen him score just eight times across the 22 previous games he's played against the West Londoners.
Joshua Kimmich has shown his usual excellence in midfield this season and tops the Champions League charts for both completed passes (2525) and chances created (83). Making 219 line-breaking passes in the competition last season meant that he was the top-ranked in that regard.
If that weren't enough to keep Chelsea on their toes, both Serge Gnabry with four assists this season and Michael Olise with three are almost certain to be a threat, as will Chelsea's on-loan Nicolas Jackson, keen to prove a point.
Palmer's return for Chelsea is timely
Cole Palmer remains the visitors' talisman, and his goal against Brentford - his first in open play since January - couldn't have been more timely. Eight goal contributions in his last eight club games in international competitions (three goals, five assists) evidences his continued importance.
Should Estevao make his UCL bow, he will do so at 18 years and 46 days old. Were he to mark his appearance with a goal, he would go in the record books as the youngest South American scorer, a record currently held by Real Madrid's Endrick at 18 years and 58 days old.
In terms of the head-to-head record, the Bavarians have won three of their last four games against Chelsea in the Champions League with the other being the drawn 2012 final that the Blues famously won on penalties.
The most recent meetings in the 2019/20 campaign saw Bayern win 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and 4-1 at home, and overall, Chelsea have lost 60% of their games against Bayern in the competition (W1 D1 L3).
It's the highest percentage of defeats against any side that they've played at least five times in the Champions League, and only Barcelona have more wins (four) against the West Londoners than Bayern's three.
Blues happy to be underdogs
Maresca's side have shown consistent improvement over the past year, however, and as Paris Saint-Germain found out in the Club World Cup final, being huge underdogs isn't a barrier to them being able to take the game to supposedly superior opponents.
If they're able to quieten down the Allianz Arena faithful with an early goal and a disciplined performance, this game is far from the foregone conclusion that many will expect.
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