What: Champions League Semi-final -Second Leg
Who: Bayern Munich (0) vs Real Madrid (1) – (First leg score in brackets)
When: Tuesday 29th April, 2014, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Three Finals in a Row
Despite having lost the first leg by a single goal at the Santiago Bernabeu last week, Bayern Munich can still qualify for the final of this edition of the Champions League for the third year running, and be the first team to win back-to-back titles ever since the competition adopted the “Champions League” label. Standing in front of Josep Guardiola and his men will be a resilient Real Madrid side, who claimed the spoils in the first leg despite losing the possession battle.
Bayern Munich are undefeated in their last eight home games against Real Madrid in all competitions, and they will be confident of turning their fortunes around when they welcome Los Blancos to the Allianz Arena. Real Madrid more often than not suffer on German soil, and forward Thomas Muller will be hoping that the fans will propel Bayern Munich to victory when the two take the pitch.
“We need to make sure we release all our positive energy now. I hope we can build up a really terrific atmosphere by Tuesday”, declared the German international after the weekend’s 5-2 win over Werder Bremen.
However, that will not count for anything should Bayern Munich’s possession-minded football fail to convert into goals. Die Roten must win this one in order to qualify, but can be punished badly should they expose themselves to Real Madrid’s deadly counter-attacks.
Years in the Making
After three successive Champions League semi-finals, Real Madrid will want to end their bad luck and qualify to the competition’s final. The nine-time trophy holders have taken a step in the right direction with their first leg win over Bayern Munich, but should they fail to show up like they did against Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion in the earlier round, then they will be more likely than not doomed to fail.
Realising that Bayern Munich remain very much their bogey team in this competition, Sergio Ramos hinted that his side will undoubtedly suffer when they will play the second leg of this encounter.
“We know what awaits us in Munich but Real Madrid is not afraid of any team. We'll go there and play the match of our lives and give our all to reach the final. We're very happy with our work in the first leg. It was a match against a big rival, the defending champions, who play great football”, blasted the versatile defender.
Real Madrid fans will be happy that Cristiano Ronaldo was back to his best as he scored two wonder-goals against Osasuna in weekend action. Expected the be fielded next to Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale in what is the team’s famous “BBC” connection, the trio’s attacking surge will be very dangerous.
Recent form
Bayern Munich:
Braunschweig 0-2 Bayern Munich (19/04; Bundesliga)
Real Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich (23/04; Champions League)
Bayern Munich 5-2 Werder Bremen (26/04; Bundesliga)
Real Madrid:
Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid (16/04; Copa del Rey)
Real Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich (23/04; Champions League)
Real Madrid 4-0 Osasuna (26/04; La Liga)
Key absences
Bayern Munich: Xherdan Shaqiri; Tom Starke; Thiago Alcantara; Holger Badstuber
Real Madrid: Jese; Alvaro Arbeloa; Sami Khedira
Players to watch
Bayern Munich – Franck Ribery: The winger was disappointing in the first leg, which prompted former Bayern Munich custodian Oliver Kahn to declare that he may not have got over his Ballon d’Or upset earlier this season. With their title on the line, Ribery will want to show the world just why he is amongst the game’s elite.
Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portugal captain’s recent injury meant that he was never going to be 100% ready for the first leg, but that is now a thing of the past as he showed how dangerous he can be in domestic action at the weekend. Having the advantage ahead of this one, he will want to be the man to guide Los Merengues to Champions League glory.
Match Prediction
Guardiola will have a lot on his mind given the passing on of his former assistant Tito Vilanova, and the first leg result. At home in front of their fans, expect match proceedings to be similar to the first game, with Die Roten controlling much of the possession. Realising that a goal or two will make things very difficult for their adversaries, Real Madrid will focus on putting their opponents to the sword with swift, counter-attacking football. Expect a 2-1 win for Bayern Munich, with Real Madrid progressing to the final on the away goal rule.
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