Real Madrid will be gunning to overturn their 2-1 first-leg deficit when they take on Bayern Munich in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night in the Uefa Champions League.
Mario Gomez scored a late winner in the first leg to give the German giants the advantage as they seek to play in the final which will be hosted in Munich.
Domestic form
Real are all but Spanish champions after the weekend’s 2-1 El Clasico victory over Barcelona. The capital club are now seven points clear at the summit with only four games to play after a recent rocky run where they had seen their lead drop from 10 points to four.
Bayern saw Borussia Dortmund clinch the German title on the weekend. Second-placed Bayern fielded a weakened team in their 2-1 win at Werder Bremen on Saturday where Franck Ribery’s late goal clinched victory. They are also in the DFB-Pokal final.
Team news
Jose Mourinho will be happy in the knowledge he has practically a full-strength side to chose from, with only Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho absent due to a thigh problem and Lassana Diarra with a hamstring injury.
Bastian Schweinsteiger appears set to return to the starting line-up for Bayern, while Daniel van Buyten (metatarsal) and Breno (knee) are definitely out.
ECL facts
- Real Madrid have a 100 per cent winning home record in the Champions League this season.
- Bayern won in Spain earlier in this season’s UCL, away to Villarreal, but have only claimed one away victory since in four UCL games.
Managers
Real manager Jose Mourinho: “I see my players excited about this semi-final like my Inter players were two years ago before the semi-final against Barcelona. It’s not about their age, it’s about the Uefa Champions League. They just want to win it. These years in Madrid are a rich experience and it is making me a better coach.”
Bayern trainer Jupp Heynckes: “Madrid need to score but we know we are also capable of doing so at any moment. We will see how things develop during the 90 minutes and – if it goes that far – extra time. Madrid have great attacking potential but so do my team. We have to acknowledge, though, that Madrid have now scored 109 goals in their league and have something like 150 in all competitions. They have great attacking potential and we will need to take this into account.”
The verdict
Sports Pundit predicts; Real Madrid 3-0 Bayern Munich