When Bayern Munich and Real Madrid face each other on Wednesay at the Allianz Arena, a great European rivalry will be re-ignited. Having last met at the same stage of the competition last year, this will be the 6th time that the two have faced each other in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The incident shown below occurred in 1987 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, as Bayern ran out 4-1 winners in the first leg. They went on to qualify for the final, where they lost to Porto. Clearly this tie is likely to be spicy, with much at stake for both sides. Hopefully nothing like this happens, but with Pepe and Ramos going up against Ribery, anything goes.
The game will most likely be a tight affair in the first leg, with maybe only a couple of goals. However, the game at the Santiago Bernabeau will probably be more expansive and attacking.
I expect Real Madrid to be able to break Bayern down, however it will be a case of keeping it tight at the back, as Marcelo and Coentrao, as well as Dani Carvajal, all like to push forward. It will be key, then, for Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric to patrol the space in front of Pepe and Ramos to ensure that any attacks are thwarted before they can reach Robben or Ribery.
From a Munich perspective, the key will be to get the ball to the two dangermen, Robben and Ribery, early, in the hope that they can exploit the gaps left by the Real full-backs. Mandzukic will likely be cutting a lonely figure up front, as he is shadowed across the pitch by the defence, however, driving runs from central midfielders will give him some free space to attack in behind.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 1-1 Real Madrid
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