Real Madrid and Bayern meet in the Champions League semi-finals, the match that has been played the most times in this competition, the duel between the two clubs with the highest hierarchy in the competition, with the permission of Milan and Liverpool. The two shirts that weigh the most in Europe, two aircraft carriers with similar philosophies of football and life. Winning as the only alibi. Since the Bavarians won three consecutive continental titles in the 70s led by the elegance of Franz Beckenbauer and the goals of Gerard Müller, Bayern became the most reliable alternative to the whites on the Old Continent. In that decade they dominated Europe, but paradoxically not Germany, where Borussia Monchengladbach won five titles in ten years.
A Bayern marked by the Camp Nou final
The Munich team had a resurgence with Rummenigge and Breitner, but lost a couple of finals (Aston Villa and Porto) before the Camp Nou final in 1999 became the starkest defeat in memory of football history, with two United goals in 90 seconds in stoppage time. An episode that marked the recent history of the club.
Since then they have shown intermittency in Europe, until in 2020, with the Covid in full swing, they removed the thorn by winning a final in Lisbon without an audience against Paris Saint-Germain with a goal from Kingsley Coman. “We want to repeat that at Wembley, but enjoying it with our fans,” said Kimmich. In recent years The Bavarian dressing room has been marked by the struggle of egos, a place that neither Toni Kroos nor Carlo Ancelottiwho tried to control what Müller baptized as “the Wild West” in the 2016-17 season. Carletto conquered the Bundesliga, something almost inevitable in a club that has won eleven of the last twelve leagues. But he could not put out the fire in Europe.
Today Real Madrid faces a Bayern in clear decline. Despite still having players of relative aristocracy like Goretzka or a downcast Müller added to the talent of others like Musiala, Gnabry or Sané, the reality is that the Bayern 2024 is the least fearsome version of the club that is remembered in recent years. Trained by Thomas Tuchel who will leave at the end of the season, they are unsuccessfully looking for a coach for next season. The latest one to give them the slip is Unai Emery, who has renewed at Aston Villa.
Five doubts in Bayern
The Germans reach the semifinals after completing a ruinous domestic season, losing in the Cup against a Third Division team, Saarbrücken, and falling out of the fight for the title in the League against Xabi Alonso’s intractable Leverkusen. To this they add that This match comes to them at a bad physical moment with Sané, Musiala and Gnabry affected. Besides, In the last Bundesliga game, in which they beat Eintracht 2-1, they left injured Konrad Laimer, affected by the internal ligament of his knee, and the Dutch Matthijs de Ligt, who sprained his ankle. He won’t know who he has until the last moment.
In this Bayern the shine comes from the goals of a Insatiable Harry Kane who has 42 goals in 42 games. However, the English striker carries the legend of a cursed player, having not yet released his record, not even when signing for a Bayern that could close its first blank season in 12 years.
They claim to “not be afraid of Real Madrid because we are Bayern”, but Tuchel was full of praise for the whites. “What Ancelotti has done for football is amazing” and “Bellingham seems to have been born to wear the shirt of Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world”. But behind that debilitating praise lies a team clinging to this competition like a lifeline. They have players with proven experience and their expectations of being in London involve arriving at the Bernabéu with an income to defend, because away from the Allianz Arena they have become a vulgar team with an alarming defensive deficit.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, land in Munich at a good time. He continues to recover players and only Carvajal, due to warnings, will be out. Ancelotti has confirmed that Tchouameni will be the starter and everything indicates that he will be in the center of defense alongside Rudiger. with which the midfield would be completed by Camavinga, Kroos, Valverde and a Bellingham that seems to have reconnected after the decisive goal against Barcelona. Up top Rodrygo and Vinicius are beginning to reach cruising speed, with 19 goals and 7 assists for the former and 17 and 6 for the latter. Carletto also left a message in his appearance for those who did not believe in him or the team in Manchester: “Few of you were betting that I would be here giving this press conference.”
Lunin will guard the goal and a big Lucas will take over the right lane while Mendy closes the left-handed one. Madrid’s respect for its rival does not hide the fact that Carletto knows that Munich’s defensive gaps are an incentive for the whites, who have scored in every game in this Champions League. Ancelotti hopes to leave Munich with a good result and seal the ticket next Wednesday in Madrid to seek his fifth ‘orejona’ and the club’s 15th at Wembley. One afternoon, or as Kimmich warned, “a game for gourmets.”
2024-04-29 17:14:16
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