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Bayern Munich host Real Madrid in the first leg of what should be a tantalising UEFA Champions League semi-final between two of the greatest club sides in Europe. Join us for live scores and commentary from 4:30am AEDT.
Having won 13 Champions League titles between them, Bayern and Madrid are certainly accustomed to performing on European club football’s biggest stage.
Tonight, the stage is set for an engrossing semi-final between two teams that make do with some of the world’s finest footballers.
Although Madrid has cantered their way to the semi-finals, the Spanish giants will need to be on their toes against a Bayern side led by the wonderful attacking trio of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mario Gomez.
Gomez in particular has had an outstanding season thus far in the Champions League. The German striker has scored 12 goals in the campaign and only trails FC Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi in the goal scoring charts.
Madrid’s line-up, meanwhile, is scattered with world-class players led by the mercurial talent of Cristiano Ronaldo.
With both teams fairly evenly matched, this could end up being one of the great Champions League semi-final match-ups between two sides known for playing an attacking brand of football.
Prediction:
While Madrid’s history in the Champions League is second to none, their record against Bayern is a cause for concern.
Bayern hold the upper hand with 10 wins to Madrid’s six from the clubs’ past 18 matches.
The most recent meeting came in the 2006/07 Round of 16 when Bayern prevailed on away goals, losing 3-2 in Spain, but winning the return leg 2-1 in Munich.
Madrid’s record while playing in Germany is also surprisingly poor. They have played 22 matches on German soil and have only come away with the one victory against Bayer Leverkusen during the 2000-01 season.
Madrid under Mourinho, however, represents a more formidable prospect for Bayern than the team they beat six years ago.
Although Bayern certainly possess the arsenal necessary to trouble Madrid on the scoreboard, the German club also have to make sure that they do not concede any away goals ahead of the second leg in Spain.
Bayern’s defence is a cause for concern, however, despite making do with world-class figures such as Philip Lahm, Manuel Neuer and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
It remains to be seen whether or not Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber, David Alaba, Luiz Gustavo and Toni Kroos can handle a Madrid attack containing superstars Mesut Ozil, Kaka, Angel di Maria, Karim Benzema and Ronaldo.
With Bayern fielding a fairly inexperienced defensive line-up compared to their La Liga counterparts, Lahm and Schweinsteiger will have to be at their best if the hosts are to keep Madrid scoreless.
Lahm’s match-up against Ronaldo in particular will be critical in deciding whether or not Bayern can take a solid advantage to the second leg.
Although Ronaldo continues to score goals at will, his performances in big Champions League matches remains suspect.
If Lahm can keep Ronaldo quiet for the majority of the contest, the Portuguese superstar can get frustrated and lose his way in matches, as evidenced by his performances in last season’s semi-final tie against FC Barcelona.
While Robben and Ribery will represent the biggest dangers upfront for Bayern, solid performances from Lahm and Schweinsteiger could see the Bundesliga giants record a narrow but priceless home victory.
Bayern to win 1-0.