It’s crunch time in the Champions League and German giants Bayern Munich will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Los Blancos in the second leg of the semi-final in what promises to be a cracker of a match.
After a morale boosting win against Barcelona, Jose Mourinho would be hoping to continue the good form against Bayern at home, although the Bavarians will certainly not be an easy opponent to topple, as they proved last week against the Spaniards. In the first leg, a last minute strike from Mario Gomez saw Bayern secure a win, after an early goal from Franck Ribery in the first half was cancelled out by Mesut Ozil 8 minutes after the restart.
Team News
Real Madrid
Real come into the game with the luxury of having a near fully fit squad to choose from. Ricardo Carvalho is unlikely to feature due to a thigh injury, whilst at left-back he must decide whether to stick with Fabio Coentrao or bring in Marcelo – who in-turn could be deployed in midfield. Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka both started on the bench in Barcelona on Saturday and will be pushing for places, but Mourinho looks unlikely to make a massive amount of changes.
Bayern Munich
Unlike Mourinho, Heynckes was able to rest a number of his key players for the match, meaning he will have his strongest XI available. Germany international midfield stalwart Bastian Schweinsteiger is set to start but Daniel Van Buyten and Breno are both ruled out.
Head to Head
17 Apr 2012 – Champions League Semi Final, 1st Leg – Bayern Munich 2-1 Real Madrid
13 Aug 2010 – Friendly – Bayern Munich 2-4 Real Madrid
07 Mar 2007 – Champions League Round of 16, 2nd Leg – Bayern Munich 2-1 Real Madrid
Form Guide
Real Madrid – WLWWD
Bayern Munich – WWDLW
Probable Starting XI
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo; Khedira, Xabi Alonso; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema.
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Lahm, Badstuber, Boateng, Alaba; Kroos, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Muller, Ribery; Gomez.
Prediction
Real Madrid 2-0 Bayern Munich