Two of the greatest European clubs will meet in a match of the quarterfinals in The Champions League. The game is going to be the 23rd between these two teams, which is an absolute record in the history of the European club competitions. The strengths are again very equal, as in the half of the occasions Bayern have proceeded to the next stage, while in the other 5 battles of the eliminations Real Madrid have knocked The Bavarians out of the tournament.
The last time these two teams met was in 2014 in the semi-finals. Real Madrid recorded a crucial 4-0 victory in Germany, which sent them into the final match. It’s interesting that exactly Carlo Ancelotti (now Bayern Munich’s manager) was the manager of Los Blancos. Xabi Alonso and Toni Kroos have also switched the clubs and will be interesting to be seen what will they do against their former teams.
Mats Hummels of Bayern Munich is going to miss the match through injury. So, the central defenders will be Boateng and Javi Martinez. Philipp Lahm will return to the pitch, as his ban has expired. Another good news for Ancelotti – Neuer has recovered from his injury and will be among the starting XI. Robert Lewandowski is doubtful.
Zinedine Zidane can’t use the defender Varane and Pepe. So, Nacho Fernandez will probably be Sergio Ramos’ partner in defence. Even though Daneil Carvajal had minor problems, he will probably find a place in the starting lineup. Kroos, Modric and Casemiro will be in the middle, while Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo will be in attack.
Real Madrid have always struggled when visiting German clubs. Los Blancos have only recorded 4 victories in 30 visits to Germany. On the other hand, Bayern Munich are very successful against Spanish clubs at home. The Bavarians have won 18 of 25 matches and have only lost twice.
The Tendencies:
That will be the sixth consecutive quarterfinal for Bayern Munich in The Champions League. In addition, Bayern Munich are on a run of 16 home Champions League victories in a row.
Real Madrid have found a place in the quarterfinals for the 7th consecutive occasion. Moreover, the Spaniards have still not lost a single match in the competition.
Los Blancos scored at least twice in their last 8 Champions League matches. All of these games finished with the option of “over 2.5 goals”.