PREVIEW: Bayern out to condemn Real Madrid to trophyless season in Champions League quarter final

PREVIEW: Bayern out to condemn Real Madrid to trophyless season in Champions League quarter final

Bayern Munich aim to prevent a resurgence from Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter final at the Allianz Arena and edge closer to a first final in six years.

After a thrilling 2-1 first leg win at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the goals coming from Harry Kane and Luis Diaz, the German side will be hoping they don’t rue their missed chances as their one goal lead was more slender than it could have been.

To avoid another season without winning any silverware, Madrid will need to do something no side has managed yet this season and beat Vincent Kompany’s team on their own turf.

Both sides had 17 shots on target and 20 overall in the reverse fixture, with Los Blancos unfortunate not to find an equalizer following Kylan Mbappé’s strike in the second half as 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was nigh unbeatable all evening.

The game was indicative of Bayern’s attacking prowess this season, with the Bavarians having netted 105 goals in 29 Bundesliga games this season to carve out a 12-point lead over rivals Borussia Dortmund at the Bundesliga summit.

Kane has scored a mammoth 31 of those, while Diaz has netted 15 himself. Bayern will hope Kane is available to start the second leg, after feeling slight discomfort which led to his absence from the sides last league game against St. Pauli.

Teenage sensation Lennart Karl is still out with a thigh injury and Kompany has no plans to risk to teenager, and backup goalkeeper Sven Ulreich is out with a muscle injury while Serge Gnabry remains a doubt after missing the first leg.

As for Madrid, their league position is not as positive as that of Bayern. Los Blancos sit nine points behind arch rivals Barcelona and have a far inferior goal difference, meaning the title fight in La Liga appears all but over.

Arbeloa’s side will be desperate to overturn the deficit and avoid a second successive quarter-final exit after they were comfortably beaten by Arsenal last year.

Star striker Mbappé has been in good form himself this season, reaching 23 goals thus far, but his side’s latest matches have more or less summed up what’s proven to be a deeply frustrating season.

A defeat away to 15th placed Mallorca and a 1-1 draw to mid-table Girona has more or less handed their Catalonian rivals the title.

However, it was Madrid that denied Bayern progression to the final in the 2023/2024 tournament and the Spanish giants must take inspiration from that performance if they are to do the same in this year’s quarter final.

The 15-time winners last won the Champions League in 2024, beating Dortmund 2-0, and have won the coveted trophy five times in the last 10 years, but

Madrid will be without stalwart keeper Thibaut Courtois due to a thigh injury and Brazilian winger Rodrygo, who sustained an ACL injury earlier this season that will also rule him out from representing Brazil at the World Cup this summer.

Elsewhere, midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni will be absent after picking up his third yellow card of the tournament.

Wednesday’s match gives Bayern a huge chance to fulfil their potential as leading candidates to win the Champions League, while Real have a chance to rescue their chances of winning bringing a trophy to the Bernabeu.