The two sides had played each other earlier in the competition, having both been drawn in Group D in the group stage; Bayern won the group, while Manchester United qualified for the knockout phase as one of the two best runners-up across all six groups. After beating
Internazionale in the quarter-finals, Manchester United beat another Italian side,
Juventus in the semis to reach the final; meanwhile, Bayern beat fellow Germans
Kaiserslautern in the quarter-finals, before overcoming Ukrainian side
Dynamo Kyiv in the semis.