Bayern and Real Madrid live the first European ‘classic’ at Wembley
The Madridistas visit with the League sentenced and after the Manchester epic, a less fearsome Allianz Arena than an irregular Bavarian team
MADRID, 29 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid visits the German Bayern Munich this Tuesday in the first leg of the semifinals of the 2023-2024 Champions League, to ‘resurrect’ the ‘classic’ of the competition in a first step towards the Wembley final, with the Madridistas caressing the alirón in the domestic tournament and driven by the epic of Manchester, while the Bavarians are showing an irregular version, with the Champions League as the only ‘bullet’ to avoid being left blank after 12 years.
The Allianz Arena will be the scene this Tuesday (9:00 p.m.) of the 27th meeting between Bayern and Real Madrid in the European Cup, the most repeated match in the history of the competition. They say that joy goes from neighborhood to neighborhood, and in these times it seems that Madrid fans are smiling, also in Munich, where they have traditionally suffered some of their worst continental nights.
And the merengue team now has three victories in their last three visits to Munich. It was in 2014 when Real Madrid of the ‘Décima’ – with Ancelotti on the bench – knocked down the black dynamic in Germany with a 0-4 score, where they had nine defeats and one draw.
Later, they met in the Champions League qualifiers in 2017 and 2018, with two white victories in the German city and with the Spanish team passing on both occasions, to also lift the trophy in the final and achieving the historic milestone of winning the tournament for three seasons. consecutive.
Thus, Real Madrid seems to have taken the measure of a German team that enters the tie as underdogs, with a team perhaps less attractive than in other years, and without the favorite label that the Madridistas now wear. But this European ‘classic’ promises strong emotions, as has been the case throughout the history of the competition, especially considering that it is the first challenge ahead of the desired Wembley final on June 1.
The team coached by Ancelotti arrives at the crucial match with morale and confidence through the roof, already with the LaLiga title almost in their pocket, after beating Real Sociedad (0-1) and making good on their victory in the Clásico (3-2). Thus, they maintain their distance from FC Barcelona and add their sixth consecutive victory in the League – they are now 18 consecutive unbeaten games in all competitions -.
Furthermore, they visit Munich spurred on after eliminating Manchester City in a way that was as agonizing as it was epic in the penalty shootout at the Etihad, with Lunin as the Madrid hero. Advancing in the competition gave wings and security to the 14-time European champion, who wants to gain an advantage ahead of what would be his sixth continental final in the last eleven years.
The Whites come into the game with more rest, since they played the domestic match on Friday. In addition, Ancelotti rested nine theoretical starters, given the size of the match he expects in Munich this Tuesday. Bellingham, Rodrygo, Kroos and Mendy – already recovered from his muscular overload – did not have any minutes, while Vinícius and Lucas Vázquez, who will start for the suspended Carvajal, came out in the second half.
The big question lies in who will be Rüdiger’s companion at the back, with the option of Tchouameni being stronger than Nacho Fernández, while Militao appears on the scene. However, the Brazilian would not yet have the pace for this type of match, especially considering that he will be opposite Englishman Harry Kane, scorer of 42 goals in 42 matches this season with the Bavarian club.
The striker is the Germans’ main threat along with the young Musiala and his imbalance, capable of tipping the balance in their favor at any moment. Due to this and their solidity at Allianz in the Champions League – they have only lost one – against PSG, in the quarterfinals in 2021 – of their last 24, linking 15 duels without losing – a Bayern that has just won 2 holds on -1 to Eintracht and that they will have more than 70,000 throats supporting them.
Although their main concern should be not to appear fragile in defense against a trident made up of ‘Vini’-Bellingham-Rodrygo. With the loss of De Ligt behind, the South Korean Kim Min-jae will be the chosen one, with Upamecano between cottons. They will also need the best Manuel Neuer in goal, a key factor to hold on against the whites.
However, the recent history of Bayern – Arsenal’s executioner in the quarterfinals – with Spanish teams is not very encouraging for the Germans. Of the last nine eliminations in Europe of the champion in 2020, six were against LaLiga teams, and they have not passed a match against Spanish clubs since 2-8 in the quarterfinals of the pandemic edition in 2020.
BAYERN DE MÚNICH: Neuer; Kimmich, Kim Min-jae, Dier, Davies; Goretzka, Pavlovic; Sané, Müller, Musiala; Kane.
REAL MADRID: Monday; Lucas Vazquez, Rüdiger, Nacho, Mendy; Camavinga, Valverde, Cross, Bellingham; Rodrygo and Vinicius.
–REFEREE: Clement Turpin (FRA).
–STADIUM: Allianz Arena.
–TIME: 9:00 p.m./Movistar Champions League.
