FC Bayern Munchen News

Had this game come a month later I may be putting Manuel Neuer in the goalkeeper slot, but the German keeper has only recently recovered from injury and is unlikely to feature in the game ahead of Sven Ulreich who has been Bayern’s number one for most of the season. 

Keylor Navas could easily have been selected in goal but Ulreich has deputised well in Neuer’s absence and boasts double the clean sheets of Navas in the league. The Bayern Munich keeper hasn’t conceded in 12 Bundesliga games, whereas Navas has only managed six clean sheets for Madrid in La Liga. 

Kimmich faced a hard task to replace the retired Philipp Lahm this season, but the 23 year old has stepped up to the challenge. Kimmich has registered ten assists from full-back this season in just 26 appearances, and has even bagged a couple of goals in the Champions league.

Daniel Carvajal has stood out for Madrid this season but his attacking statistics are nowhere near as impressive as Kimmich’s and the Spaniard tends to suffer from ill-discipline, having picked up 15 yellow cards this season. 

David Alaba and Marcelo are arguably the two best left-backs in the world, so to choose one or the other is tough.

But Marcelo has to go in the combined XI by default. Alaba has struggled over the past week with a thigh injury and is a doubt for Wednesday’s tie.  

Marcelo, however, is a perfectly good replacement. The Brazilian was instrumental in Real Madrid’s Champions League winning campaign last season and given license to go forward can be deadly in the final third.

Boateng has been a mainstay in Bayern Munich’s defence since 2011 and that does not look to change anytime soon. 

He has been central Bayern and Germany’s success over recent years, helping the German club to six Bundesliga titles and his international team to a World Cup win in 2014.  

The former Manchester City man boasts strength and pace in abundance, making him one of the worlds best in his position.  

Sergio Ramos is the perfect defensive leader. 

No defender has been as influential in world football than the Madrid man in recent years. His influence on this Madrid team has been made abundantly clear in his recent absence, especially in Madrid’s 3-1 loss to Juventus in the last round of the Champions League.

Ramos’ passion, fearlessness and occasional recklessness is all part of the Madrid skipper’s charm and what has made him such a defensive icon.

Toni Kroos has to go in this team. 

The former Bayern Munich man is absolutely vital in any success that Madrid have. His lack of pace is offset by his unrivalled ability to read the game, and his phenomenal passing range which has seen him rack up seven assists this season.

Partnering Kroos is Thiago Alcantara. 

Thiago has been touted as the next Xavi for good reason. Just like Xavi, Thiago has a fantastic eye for as pass and is superb with the ball at his feet. 

But the 26 year old Bayern Munich man is not just a carbon copy of the Barcelona legend, and has elements of his game that even Xavi did not hold. Besides from his passing capabilities, Thiago’s defensive contribution is strong and he has shown prowess in front of goal this season. 

The Spaniard has scored 7 in all competitions this season, despite having missed a big chunk of the season through injury. 

Luka Modric rounds off the midfield three, ahead of the likes of James Rodriguez, Javi Martínez and Casemiro. 

The Croatian is a more well-rounded player than his competitors for the midfield position. He can defend, as well as attack at an impressive level, but the influence Modric can have on a game makes him an easy addition to this team.  

Another tough position to pick, the centre attacking midfield role has options such as Müller, Marco Asensio and even James Rodriguez who can also play higher up the pitch. 

But Isco’s season for Madrid makes him the obvious choice. Isco has scored six and registered six assists in La Liga this season, despite not holding a consistent position in the Madrid lineup. 

His fast feet and ability to hold up the ball make him one of the most promising players in the Madrid squad.

There is really much more that needs to be said. Ronaldo started Madrid’s league campaign poorly but has since picked up 24 goals in the league and 15 in the Champions League, scoring in every single game of the competition. 

Ronaldo has found a new role as a central striker in his latter years, but the position change hasn’t made him any less potent in front of goal. 

Whether Lewandowski will still be at Bayern Munich come this time next year or indeed at the club who Bayern face on Wednesday is unknown. 

What we do know however, is that the Polish striker cannot stop scoring. He has scored 28 in 28 appearances in the Bundesliga this season making him a sure addition to this squad. 

In 1976 the two great aristocrats of European football were drawn against each other in the semi final of the European Cup. The meeting had anything you could possibly want in a football match; a broken nose, a pitch invasion, and some truly calamitous defending.  

Roberto Martinez opened the scoring for Real, but Bayern Munich equalised through Gerd Muller while Madrid were still protesting to the referee about a corner they felt they should have been awarded. 

Roberto Martinez broke his nose in the second half in a collision with Bayern goalkeeper Sepp Maier. Towards the end of the game, Madrid striker Santillana was shoved over in the penalty area, just for the referee to controversially wave play on. 

Incensed by the refereeing decisions a Real Madrid fan evaded police officers and dashed onto the pitch to attack Gerd Muller, and the match official. The situation was a massive embarrassment for Real Madrid, who had long resisted putting up metal cages that many European stadiums had installed.

The game finished 1-1, and Bayern Munich progressed into the final after winning the second leg 2-0. 

In 1987 Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were paired together again for the semi finals of 1986/87 Champions Cup. Both teams were leading their respective domestic divisions and were enjoying fine seasons in Europe.

Bayern Munich won the game 4-1 but besides from the emphatic scoreline, the game is notable for the actions of Madrid player Juanito. 

Real were already 3-1 down when Lothar Matthaus bundled into right back Chendo with a cynical two-footed challenge. Chendo jumped to his feet and shoved Matthaus to the floor. 

Juanito charged over, bringing his studs down into Matthaus’s back, in full view of the referee Bob Valentine and then proceeded to lift his right knee once more and brought it down on Matthaus’s jaw. The Madrid forward was unsurprisingly sent off and missed the second leg of the tie, in which Real were eliminated from the competition losing 4-2 on aggregate.

13 years on Lothar Mathaus was still on the scene, playing in the centre of a back three for Bayern Munich. 

Mehmet Scholl opened the scoring for Bayern Munich despite being offside by a comically large distance. Giovanni Elber doubled the lead after Fernando Hierro had misjudged a long punt from Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. 

Real pulled one back but two late goals from Alexander Zickler completed the rout. Bayern won 4-2 at the Bernabeu, meaning they had scored eight goals against Real in the space of just a week.

The two sides met again in 2012. The tie finished 3-3 on aggregate after the two legs.

The second leg was hosted by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. The home side were 2-1 up after 90 minutes, and the game went all the way to penalties. 

Ronaldo stepped up to take the first penalty but it was saved by Manuel Neuer. Casillas then saved from Kroos then of Bayern Munich and Lahm to put the shoot-out level, but then Sergio Ramos blazed his penalty miles over the bar, and that was that. 

In another tie riddled with refereeing errors Bayern Munich fell out of the Champions League quarter finals after a Ronaldo hat trick helped Real Madrid to a 4-2 win in extra time.   

Bayern had done well to get themselves back into the tie after coming into the game 2-1 down from the result in the first leg. 

The German team were on top in the game, and had brought the aggregate score back to 3-3. But referee Viktor Kassai sent off Arturo Vidal incorrectly near the end of normal time. 

Salt was rubbed into Bayern Munich wounds when Ronaldo then went on to score two offside goals in the extra time period to send Madrid into the next round. 

To stop Cristiano Ronaldo scoring is no easy task. 

The Portuguese superstar has been in predictably scintillating form in the Champions League and has scored in every one of his games for Madrid in this year’s competition.

But Jerome Boateng might be the man to stop Ronaldo’s fine scoring run. 

In a year where every other Champions League club looks to have given up on defending, Bayern Munich have practised the art resolutely and Boateng has been key to the success of the German side’s backline. 

He will have to be at the top of his game to stop Ronaldo, but if anyone can do so, a partnership of Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng looks the most likely. 

At the other end of the pitch is another of the game’s most crucial battles. 

Lewandowski has a fantastic goal record in the Bundesliga this season, having scored 28 in 28 appearances. The Bayern Munich striker will have taken encouragement from the ease with which Mario Mandžuki? netted twice in Real Madrid’s 3-1 loss to Juventus in the last round of the Champions League. 

But Real Madrid were without Sergio Ramos that night. The Real Madrid backline with Ramos at it’s heart is a completely different proposition to that which Juventus faced.

It promises to be a tough battle for both players and whichever player succeeds in coming on top will have a massive say on who progresses into the final of the competition.

Key to both teams’ chances of winning will be their ability to create chances which is why the midfield battle between Thiago and Modric will be so important. 

Thiago is an acrobatic dribbler, but as we’ve seen time and time again he never runs away from bold decisions to set up plays that end in the opposition’s goal. 

Facing Thiago, however, is Luka Modri?. 

Modric is the maestro who makes Real Madrid’s superstars tick, and has been an underrated part of Madrid’s Champions League success under Zidane. The Croatian, however, looked tired against Juventus, and without his running in midfield Madrid failed to get anywhere near top gear. 

The battle between two of the world’s best midfielders will be fascinating, but Thiago’s younger legs may be tough for Modric to keep up with on the night.