Bayern Munich had 54.4 percent possession in the Champions League last season, a figure that dropped to just 48.6 percent in the knockout stages against Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona.

This season, Bayern has had possession 69.6 percent of the time and that number increased to 72 percent at Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Last season, Bayern scored eight goals from set pieces while they haven't scored a single goal this season in set pieces.

Possession statistics can be an unreliable indicator of performance. Since 2009-10, for instance, the team with the most possession has won only 63 of 142 Champions League knockout matches – a win percentage of 44% – with 26 draws and 53 defeats.

As the Prozone analyst Omar Chaudhuri succinctly puts it, goals predict changes in possession much better than possession predicts changes in goals.

When Bayern is at their best, they blend possession with pace.