All you need to know about the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie between Real Madrid and Bayern München.
Real Madrid host Bayern München in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie-on Tuesday, 7 April.
What you need to know
No two teams have faced off as often in UEFA club competition, and this 29th encounter between Real Madrid and Bayern offers as much intrigue as any of those previous meetings.
Madrid have had the better of recent head-to-heads, progressing from the last four two-legged ties between the sides, while they are unbeaten in their last nine UEFA competition matches against Bayern (W7 D2). At this stage of the competition, the omens are especially strong for Álvaro Arbeloa’s men – they have won all three previous European Cup/Champions League quarter-final ties between the clubs. The Merengues’ ruthless dispatching of Manchester City in the last round only serves to boost their confidence further.
Recency offers greater hope to Bayern, though, as few teams can match their achievements in this season’s edition. No team can better their nine wins from ten outings, while only Paris Saint-Germain (who have played two extra games) have plundered more goals than Bayern’s 32 to date. Ten of those came in two prolific outings against Atalanta in the round of 16, proving Vincent Kompany’s men are hard to hold off once into their stride.
With 46 quarter-final appearances between them in the Champions League era, the business end of Europe’s premier club competition is no stranger to either club. But only one can reach the last four – who will make the most significant opening move in the Spanish capital?
Possible line-ups
Real Madrid: Lunin; Éder Militão, Huijsen, Rüdiger, Fran García; Valverde, Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Pitarch; Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior
Bayern München: Neuer; Stanišić, Upamecano, Tah, Laimer; Kimmich, Pavlović; Luis Díaz, Gnabry, Olise; Kane
Form guide
Real Madrid
Form: LWWWWW (most recent game first)
Latest: Mallorca 2-1 Real Madrid, 04/04, Spanish Liga
Bayern München
Form: WWWDWW
Latest: Freiburg 2-3 Bayern, 04/04, German Bundesliga
Views from the camps
Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid coach: “We don’t think about not winning the tie and there is only one possible scenario, which is to beat Bayern and get through the tie. Bayern are unbelievable – we’ve seen what they can do this season. We have a lot of respect for them; they’re having an exceptional season. I think Bayern have been the most consistent side in Europe this season. They are very complete: they’re fearless, aggressive, very focused defensively, with an unbelievable striker in Harry Kane.”
Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid forward: “When everyone is back from injury, we are much stronger and better. Éder Militão has returned. Jude Bellingham is back. Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos are coming back too. It will be better for the team.”
Vincent Kompany, Bayern coach: “Everything will matter tomorrow. This is my first time here as a coach, but we have a lot of experience in games like this. The outcome will be decided in part by tactics, but above all by the little things – such as the individual quality that the players show. We’ve prepared for Real [Madrid] and we’ve seen what they did against Man City. It’s perhaps the toughest away game you can play, but we want to win.”
Joshua Kimmich, Bayern München midfielder: “If you want to beat Real Madrid, you have to be at your best mentally and tactically. We’re in good spirits, and we’re looking forward to being able to play here tomorrow. It’s the best, it’s what you dream of as a player.”
Reporter’s view
Graham Hunter, match reporter
Bayern will want a different result, but any neutral would sign up for the drama these teams served up here two years ago, when a pair of late Joselu goals sent Bayern home in disbelief and Madrid through to a Champions League final at Wembley – where they saw off Borussia Dortmund to clinch the title. This is, inarguably, a “European Clásico” between two very different clubs who are unified by the idea of continental supremacy and their love of lifting this trophy. Vincent Kompany returns to a stadium where he couldn’t win as a footballer, bringing a team powerful enough to be favourites – on paper. But this is Real Madrid in the Champions League, so never write them off.
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Source:
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