Real Madrid visit Bayern in what will be a crucial opening leg for the Champions LeagueSemifinals. The winner of this tie will almost surely face Liverpool in the Final given that Klopp’s side dismantled Roma this Tueday.
Sergio Ramos will be back for Madrid after missing the last European match against Juventus and defender Nacho Fernandez will be the only injured player for Los Blancos.
Bayern predicted XI: Ulreich; Kimmich, Hummels, Boateng, Alaba; Martínez, Thiago; James, Müller, Ribéry; Lewandowski
Out: Vidal (knee), Coman (ankle)
Doubtful: Neuer (foot), Tolisso (shin)
Real Madrid predicted XI: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Casemiro, Modrić, Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo
Doubtful: Nacho (muscular)
It would be shocking to see goalkeeper Manuel Neuer starting but he could be back in time for the return leg which will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu. Other than that, both starting lineups seem quite predictable but whether Heynckes or Zidane will decide to make some changes or not remains to be seen.
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Date: 04/25/2018
Time: 20:45 CET, 02:45pm EST, 11:45am Pacific.
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany.
Available TV: FOX Sports 1 (USA), BT Sport 2 (UK), BeIN Sports (Spain).
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, 2018 Champions League: Match Preview, Injuries/Suspensions, Potential XIs, Prediction
Real Madrid hold a 2-1 aggregate in the match that will decide who goes to the Final in Kyiv.
Match Preview
Nearly a week ago both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich met at the Allianz Arena to kick off the Champions League semi-final. Real went down 1-0 first to a goal conceded to right back Joshua Kimmich. Marcelo would score near the end of the first half to put everything square before the halftime whistle blew. Real then put in the go-ahead away goal on a great effort by Marco Asensio, who was subbed on for Isco at the half.
Real didn’t look terribly convincing, even with a win, they spent a great deal of time in their own end having to fight off the Bayern attack. The stats absolutely back this up, Real trailed in almost every aspect except the score. They had way less attempted shots, though only 1 less shot on target, less corners, and were dominated in possession. They also had more offsides and fouls called, though Bayern were issued 1 more yellow card. Needless to say, they need to step it up going into this 2nd leg at home.
Keylor Navas must be better, though he did make two great saves that otherwise would have been goals. He looked very shaky throughout the 1st leg and the Kimmich goal probably should’ve been one he stopped. He has the talent and capability to be a top keeper, but he’s been struggling with consistency since that 2nd leg against Juventus.
Ronaldo will also be looked to for some offense and goals, he was almost nonexistent in Munich. A player who was dominant against Juventus, really struggled to get anything going against Bayern in the 1st leg. There shouldn’t be a doubt, however, that he won’t be looking to turn that around and go back to his dominant form that he has been showing in this year’s Champions League.
Injuries/Suspensions
Isco and Carvajal are both likely out for this 2nd leg. Both sustained injury in Munich and missed the Leganes match on Saturday. The good news is Zidane has revealed that Nacho is set to return, so he could possibly get a start here since being out a month. Real have not released their match squads as of the time of writing this.
On Bayern’s side, they will be missing both Jerome Boateng and Arjen Robben. Both also sustained injury in the 1st leg and are not in Bayern’s released match squad. Javi Martinez and David Alaba are both back from injury. Arturo Vidal is also still out for the season.
Potential XIs
Real Madrid
Navas; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema
With Carvajal most likely missing, the burden will likely fall on a returning Nacho’s shoulders. Hakimi started on Saturday, but its unrealistic to expect he’ll start in such a crucial match. So, if Nacho is truly ready, that’s who probably fill in at right back.
The other question is which forwards start, namely in Bale’s position at the right wing. Bale and Benzema both started on Saturday with Ronaldo sitting, where Bale scored one of Real’s two goals. Zidane may give him the nod to start, though Vasquez may end up starting as he did in the 1st leg. With Isco out as well, Benzema will probably slot back into the lineup with Ronaldo’s return to the left wing position.
Bayern Munich
Ulreich; Kimmich, Süle, Hummels, Alaba; Martinez; Thiago, Müller, James, Ribéry; Lewandowski
Prediction
3-2 Real Madrid-Bayern Munich
Real should be able to score a bit more goals this time around, especially being in front of their home crowd. They can’t afford to give Bayern the chances they did in Munich, because Bayern will eventually break through. It’s going to be tough for Real to prevent Bayern’s potent offense from scoring more than one goal, but that’s what it’s going to take to get to Kyiv.
Navas and Ronaldo will be looked to for much better performances. This is where Cristiano should put the 1st leg behind him and make this his time to shine yet again. I think he can be relied upon to do just that and do what he does best in big match situations.
Regardless of what happens on Tuesday, this has certainly been one heck of a ride in the Champions League. Real has arguably faced the toughest competition and has proven they are still a top team in Europe despite their La Liga woes. Tuesday will define if they continue their dominance and make it to their third Champions League Final in 3 years and the chance to go for a three-peat.
It’s winner-take-all at the Bernabéu on Tuesday and the chance for another shot at European glory will be awaiting in Kyiv. One of these two clubs will be waiting for the winner of Roma and Liverpool on Wednesday for the final bout in the Ukraine on May 26th.
It’s going to be a battle until the final whistle, as it was against Juventus, but no team should have more confidence from their fanbase to get the job done than Real Madrid. The match will have everyone’s nerves on edge, but that’s why we love this game and this club. Enjoy it, folks!
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Date: 05/01/2018
Time: 20:45 CET, 02:45pm EST, 11:45am Pacific.
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain.
Available Streaming: FOX Sports GO (USA), Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream, click here to sign up and benefit from a discount for new members and Managing Madrid readers).
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