It finely hangs in the balance. Bayern Munich threatened to run away with it in front of their home fans but if there’s one thing you can’t do in Champions League, it is thinking that Real Madrid are down and out.
Los Blancos came back in that game to draw 2-2 and put themselves in prime position to finish the job in front of Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Bayern Munich have a motivation of their own. Their head coach Thomas Tuchel would love to go out with a bang and there are not many “bangs” bigger than winning the UCL, especially to stick it to the management that has repeatedly undermined him.
The players, meanwhile, have nothing left to play for except this and with Bayer Leverkusen stealing their thunder in Germany, they would love to steal theirs in Europe by winning the big one. Here is the Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich UEFA Champions League semifinal second-leg prediction-
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich prediction
Bernabeu has an almost mythical power when it comes to Champions League nights. Combine that with Real Madrid’s own resilience and extreme self-belief when that anthem rings, it is nearly impossible to look beyond Los Blancos for this one.
Bayern Munich’s best chance would be to cede possession, defend in a deep block to negate the pace of Vinicius Jr and co, and try to hit them on transitions. Carlo Ancelotti is extremely pragmatic and would try to do the same, knowing that the onus of scoring first will be on Bayern since Madrid’s comeback ability is second to none.
Therefore, this could be a case where neither team wants to dominate possession and would prefer to play on the counter. It suits Harry Kane, who can drop deep and set runners out wide free after last man runs and it suits Vinicius Jr who is unstoppable with space ahead of him.
Bayern will have to start fast, press high but immediately drop into a deep block if their initial pressing attempts fail. Toni Kroos will have to be marked diligently as the former Bayern man is a killer if he is afforded time on the ball, as they have already seen in the first leg with his assist for Vinicius.
For Real Madrid, it will just be a case of letting it play out and waiting for their moment to strike because this Bayern team will give them a few.
Ultimately, the magic of Bernabeu plus a team coming off a high of winning the La Liga should roll over the Bavarian giants and cement their status as the best team in Europe and the biggest contenders for this year’s prize, regardless of who wins the other semifinal between Dortmund and PSG.