Having secured a 2-1 win away from home in the first leg of the quarter-finals, Bayern Munich will look to get the job done in front of their fans against record winners, Real Madrid. Despite their recent struggles, the visitors will go all out to overturn the deficit and push for their 16th Champions League title.
After securing a top-eight finish in the league phase, Bayern took apart Atalanta in the round of 16 to set up this last-eight tie against Los Blancos. Vincent Kompany’s team have almost secured the league title as they are 12 points clear at the top, and now their focus is on going the distance in the Champions League.
While the away fixture was expected to be a difficult one, Bayern ended up dominating the proceedings. The 2-1 scoreline might suggest that it was a closely fought encounter, but in reality, the German club miles clear of Madrid and should have scored a few more goals on the night.
Given Real Madrid’s track record in this competition, Bayern Munich will be hoping those missed chances do not come back to haunt them. Post their win over the team in white, the German outfit smashed St. Pauli 5-0, which suggests they are heading into this home game high on confidence.
Meanwhile, the visitors’ season has fallen apart over the last few weeks. Following a defeat to Mallorca and a draw against Girona, they are now nine points behind league leaders Barcelona. There seems to be acceptance at the club that the league title is beyond their reach now.
They have decided to put all their focus on the Champions League, but they have a mountain to climb. Not only do they need to overturn a goals deficit, but Los Blancos also need to take down the most in-form team in all of Europe, that too away from home.
They were lucky to only concede twice in the first leg and will have to do a lot better to stand a chance. Having failed to win any of their last three games in all competitions, the odds are certainly against Alvaro Arbeloa’s team.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The home team will be without the services of Lennart Karl (thigh) and Sven Ulreich (muscle). Serge Gnabry should shake off a minor knee issue to start this fixture. Meanwhile, Harry Kane should be back in the starting XI after being rested in their last outing.
Kompany will stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation. After a man-of-the-match performance in the first leg, 40-year-old Manuel Neuer will be hoping to guide his team into the last four.
He will be protected by a back four of Josip Stanisic, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah and Konrad Laimer. Stanisic and Laimer will take charge as full-backs, while Upamencano will partner with Tah in central defence.
In the centre of the park, Joshua Kimmich will partner with Aleksandar Pavlovic. The duo will shield the backline and look to control the tempo of the game at home.
Gnabry should take up the number ten role, while Michael Olise and Luis Diaz will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attacks. Meanwhile, Harry Kane will return to the XI to lead the line against Los Blancos.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanisic; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Gnabry, Diaz; Kane
The visitors remain without the services of Thibaut Courtois (thigh) and Rodrygo (knee) because of injury. Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended for this outing.
They do have a boost heading into this fixture as Ferland Mendy has returned from injury and was handed valuable minutes against Girona last time out. But it will be interesting to see if he is ready to start.
Los Blancos will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Andriy Lunin will feature in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alvaro Carreras are expected to be the full-backs, while Antonio Rudiger will pair up with Dean Huijsen in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Eduardo Camavinga could partner with Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde. The trio are unlikely to have much of the ball, but they will certainly look to press as hard as they can to win back the ball and create opportunities to hit Bayern on the break.
Arda Guler could continue as the number ten behind the attacking duo of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Guler; Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
Kane has been in sensational form in the ongoing campaign. He has bagged 49 goals and five assists in his 41 outings across competitions. The 32-year-old has 11 goals in his 12 Champions League outings; he is just one goal away from recording his best-ever UCL tally.
He has found the back of the net in each of his last four UCL outings (six goals). Having bagged a goal in the first leg, Kane will be hoping to help his team get the job done against Los Blancos. He certainly has an impressive track record against the Spanish giants, having contributed towards a goal in each of his last four meetings.
Bayern Munich will head into this second leg with a significant advantage and a great deal of confidence, especially given their dominant display in the first encounter. Playing at the Allianz Arena, Vincent Kompany’s men are expected to control the tempo once again and look to kill the tie early with their attacking firepower.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have a mountain to climb and will need something special to turn things around. While their pedigree in this competition means they can never be written off, their recent form and defensive vulnerabilities could once again be exposed. Bayern’s momentum and cutting edge in the final third should see them get the job done and book their place in the semi-finals.
The Hard Tackle predicts a comfortable 3-1 win for the German giants.
