Bayern Munich has to score at least twice in the Santiago
Bernabeu to have a chance of progressing
to the final.
Real Madrid will reach their fourth Champions League final
in five years if they can see off the Bundesliga Champions in the second leg of
their semi-final tie on Tuesday.
Zinedine Zidane's side already have one foot in Kiev
after beating Bayern 2-1 in the first leg last week and they will be
confident of finishing the job at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Liga giants were trailing a Joshua Kimmich goal
before Marcelo and Marco Asensio struck to give them two away
goals heading into the return leg.
Jupp Heynckes' side now have a tall order to fulfill in
the Spanish capital if they are to end their rivals' pursuit of three
Champions League titles in succession.
REAL MADRID
Real have been dealt a blow with the news that Isco will be
unavailable for the game, but defender Nacho is in contention.
Cristiano Ronaldo comes into the game especially fresh after
sitting out the weekend's victory over Leganes, with Gareth Bale expected to
miss out at his expense.
Potential Real Madrid starting XI: Navas;
Marcelo, Ramos, Varane, Lucas; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Asensio; Ronaldo,
Benzema.
BAYERN MUNICH
Bayern have been forced to contend with somewhat of an
injury crisis and they will be without Jerome Boateng and Arjen Robben for the
second leg.
Kingsley Coman is also missing, while Manuel Neuer is still
not ready to feature as he continues to recover from injury.
Potential Bayern Munich starting XI: Ulreich;
Alaba, Hummels, Sule, Kimmich; James, Martinez, Thiago; Ribery, Lewandowski,
Muller.
Despite the fact that Real came from behind to win 2-1
at the Allianz Arena in the first leg, Bayern boss Heynckes has reminded them
that they are not invincible and is taking inspiration from Juventus'
3-1 win at the Bernabeu in the previous round.
Real had an even healthier lead over the Italians in the
quarter-final, winning 3-0 in Turin, but their place in the final four was
under threat as they conceded three goals before Ronaldo's
controversial last-minute penalty ultimately put them through.
"Real Madrid showed in [the Juve] game they're
vulnerable even at home. They're not invincible in spite of appearances,"
the Bavarians' boss told reporters. "We know things are going to be
difficult. Madrid are used to very important games but so are we. We'll be a
very tough opponent."
Despite Heynckes' optimism, the visitors' chances of
upsetting Real were dealt a blow when they lost Boateng and Robben to injury in
the first leg. Nevertheless, they possess sufficient quality and experience to
mount a credible challenge.
The hosts, meanwhile, were forced to watch on at the weekend
as their fierce rivals Barcelona clinched Liga glory, something that magnifies
their under-performance during the current campaign. However, winning the
Champions League for the third year in succession will render that irrelevant
and that will serve to spur them on even more on Tuesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment