Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid Champions League preview

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will meet in the Champions League semi-final, just over a decade after their famously painful game between them in the competition in 2012.

That season, Jose Mourinho seemed to have built one of the best Real Madrid teams of all time. They had to score 100 points to win the league ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.

Los Blancos had all it took to win the Champions League, but their journey ended when they met Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

Both games ended in 2-1 wins for the home side, and the match had to be decided on penalties.

Shockingly, only Xabi Alonso converted his spot kick for Madrid in the shootout against an outstanding Manuel Neuer, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Sergio Ramos all missing theirs.

Bayern reached the final but lost to a Didier Drogba-inspired Chelsea. Can Bayern repeat that famous victory?

The Germans would go on to win the competition in 2013 and have remained one of Europe’s top clubs for decades.

These games will be their only route to winning a trophy this season. They lost the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen and were kicked out of the German Cup much earlier.

Tuchel is ending his spell on their bench in the summer. He is one of the managers who knows how to win European games, having reached the Champions League final in 2020 with PSG and winning the competition with Chelsea the following year.

Champions League tickets for this game are already in high demand because the fixture brings together one of the best coaches of all time, Carlo Ancelotti, against a successful manager in European competitions, Tuchel.

Is this Madrid’s year again?

Madrid were expected to be eliminated from the Champions League by Manchester City in the quarterfinal after the English champions earned a 3-3 draw in Spain.

This meant the Spaniards had it all to do in the return leg in England, but Los Blancos are European royalty for a reason and delivered in front of the Etihad crowd.

They failed to win in normal time after letting their lead slip, but they made amends by winning the penalty shootout that followed extra time.

Los Blancos is the most successful club in Champions League history and is still one of the biggest favourites to win the competition after reaching another semi-final.

Carlo Ancelotti has overseen a huge transformation in their squad and continues to prove to be one of the best coaches in the world.

While waiting for Endrick and Kylian Mbappe, Madrid boasts an attack with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz and Joselu.

Further back, Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni, alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, among others, are controlling midfield.

It is hard to argue that this Madrid team is the best in the world at the moment, and they can easily defeat Bayern Munich, but it will not be that straightforward.

Can Tuchel finish with a flourish?

Tuchel will leave his role as Bayern Munich manager at the end of this season, and the former Chelsea boss will want to end his spell well.

This is his first and only full season at the club. He joined over a year ago and won the league last term.

Like Madrid, Bayern has a plethora of star players, and they also improved their squad with the likes of Harry Kane and Eric Dier in this campaign.

Kane is nearing 40 goals in all competitions for the season and remains one of the best footballers to never play for Real Madrid.

The Englishman will be flanked by impressive attacking teammates like Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry in that game, while Bayern’s midfield will be marshalled by the impressive Joshua Kimmich.

Konrad Laimer is another very fine player who ran the show in both games against Arsenal and might be the little-known player to make a difference in this game. 

Match Preview

Bayern will host Madrid with everything to play for, knowing they have to end the first leg in fantastic fashion to have a chance of progressing in Spain.

The Bavarians are out of other competitions and have already lost the league, so they can rest their key men for the game against Eintracht Frankfurt.

This will keep Kane fresh for the visit of Madrid, a team they have often met in the Champions League.

They met as recently as the semi-final in 2018, with Madrid progressing 4-3 on aggregate. Similarly to this tie, Bayern played the first leg at home and lost 2-1.

They tried to rescue the game in Spain, but two Karim Benzema goals earned Madrid a 2-2 draw. Los Blancos would eventually defeat Liverpool in the final to win the competition.

These teams' games are close. They also met in the 2017 quarterfinals, with Madrid scoring three extra-time goals in Spain to stun Bayern and progress to the next stage.

Bayern last defeated Madrid over two legs in the Champions League on that famous night in 2012, and it seems Los Blancos vowed never to lose to the Germans again. Will their current team keep up that trend?

Key battles

This game will be won and lost in many parts of the pitch because both clubs have world-class players whom we expect to be in their best form in the fixture.

Madrid’s Jude Bellingham has been a star player for them this season, but he will come up against Joshua Kimmich, who is one of the best midfielders in the game now.

Madrid could win that midfield battle. They also have the experience of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to count on, not to mention Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala, and Laimer are the most important midfielders in the Bayern squad, and each has shown over time that they can help the team defeat any opponent.

Bayern and Madrid's attacks are awash with the best players in the world, and it will be a constant battle to keep each other out when they meet for this game in Germany.

However, the most important battle could be the tactical one between both managers, as Tuchel will be eager to ensure he gets one over Ancelotti.

The Madrid gaffer has earned a reputation for being as cool as a cucumber on the touch line as he trusts his players to get the job done.

The Italian will face a Tuchel who knows how to win double-legged ties in Europe and knows his next job could depend on Champions League success this term.

Both managers faced top English opposition in the last round and won, so they have the pedigree to hurt each other.

How they set their team up for this game will probably be more important than anything because they already have some of the best players in the world.