Will holders Madrid eke out a result or will Munich take a lead back for the second leg?
Carlo Ancelotti will square up to his former protégé Zinedine Zidane and former employers when Bayern Munich host Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie on Wednesday.
The Allianz Arena will be packed as the man who won Real their historic La Decima (10th Champions League title) faces the side he created history with.
With plenty on the stake, which side holds the advantage?
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Well, Real appears the holders, but their path to the quarterfinals has been littered with mistakes which does give the Bundesliga side a slight advantage, especially at home.
Bayern have overcome a sluggish start to the season and are very much in full flow at the moment (Borussia Dortmund will verify the above statement!).
Adjusted to Carlo Ancelotti’s methods, with a revitalised Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery terrorising defences yet again, there seems to be no stopping Munich. Robben, in particular, is one of the key protagonists and not just because of his searing form. The Dutch winger spent two seasons at Madrid, never quite achieving the heights he could have before being shunted out to Bayern. So with Robben, Ribery and the super-consistent Robert Lewandwoski up top, Ancelotti’s men look frightening in attack.
Mats Hummels’ injury, however, makes the visitors look a little exposed at the rear while Javi Martinez will step in to partner Jerome Boateng, they will definitely suffer from the loss in quality.
The midfield battle will be an intriguing one with the combative Arturo Vidal completing the mercurial Tiago Alcantara perfectly. And last but not the least, central midfielder Xabi Alonso faces his former teammates and his performance will be worth keeping an eye on.
What they are saying: “It is difficult, they are one of the best teams in the world, with world-class players.” (Bayern winger Arjen Robben as per AS)
Each time Madrid slip up in the La Liga, Barcelona match them and go one better. Well, the Champions League is an unforgiving competition in the group stages and we are now in the knockout phase which means even the smallest of mistakes will be severely punished.
So without Raphael Varane and Pepe (He broke his ribs on the weekend), an relatively untested combination of Sergio Ramos and Nacho will have to keep the likes of Robert Lewandwoski (Remember his four for Borussia Dortmund against Madrid?) at bay. So with no clean sheets in this year’s Champions League even when first-choice defenders were available, it is unlikely that Los Blancos will be able to shutout Bayern.
Which puts the pressure on the ‘BBC’ (Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo) to fire the holders into the semifinals. While Bale is fully fit after a lengthy injury absence, he hasn't been consistent since his return and Madrid’s talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo is suffering his worst goalscoring season at the capital club. They were non-existent against Atletico on the weekend and cannot afford to be quiet for a second game in a row.
For midfielder Toni Kroos, the tie is of special significance as he is up against his former club and while they parted ways amicably, he will be fired up to get one over the Bavarians. Giving him company in midfield will be Casemiro and Luka Modric and the trio have a real fight on their hands if they are to take a lead back to the Bernabeu.
What they are saying: “They will be two fantastic games. This tie could easily be the Champions League final.” (Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos as per www.realmadrid.com)
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