The Champions League has brought together two teams embedded in the history of football who share perhaps the most intense and bitter rivalry in the history of the competition.
They share eleven European cups in between them; they are historically the best two teams their respective nations have ever produced; the ambassador of this year’s tournament Paul Breitner featured for both these clubs. And above all, they form the ‘El Classico’ of European football. When Bayern München and Real Madrid step out on the pitch on the 17th of March, the occasion will truly be absolutely spectacular.
When Michel Salgado in his last years as a Real Madrid player was asked which team he would like to play in the Champions League knock out stage, he had simply answered that he would be glad to play any team but Bayern. Bayern is called ‘La Bestia Negra’ in Madrid. That phrase roughly translates to: ‘The Black Beast.’
“This (Bayern) is an example of a well-run, democratic club which I personally think will defeat Real Madrid to reach the final of the Champions League against Barcelona.”
The above quote is from Diego Maradona, the legendary Argentine player. This tie at this point has an almost completely different look from a week ago. FC Bayern was contending for a possible treble then. Now, they sit eight points behind Dortmund. Dortmund needs two points from three games to win the title. In other words, Bayern requires two more points to be guaranteed second place in the Bundesliga.
Now, what does this mean for Madrid? It perhaps means that Madrid will be facing a stronger Bayern than they expected. However, the team morale as Jupp Heynckes admitted was low heading into Saturday’s clash against Mainz following news of Dortmund’s victory in the Ruhr derby. Bayern will be coming into the match following two rather mediocre performances against Dortmund and Mainz.
Bayern’s attack is known to be their weapon. Bayern’s attack on their day can almost batter any team placed in front of them. Their defence is looked upon as a weakness. However, a closer look at the stats might suggest otherwise. While the attack is brilliant, Bayern has been shut out eight times in all competitions this season. The defence meanwhile has been doing a good job- they have kept 29 clean sheets in all competitions this season.
Real Madrid has already equaled the highest number of goals ever scored in a single La Liga season: 107. The record incidentally was set by a previous Real Madrid side. Once Real Madrid scores, they are unstoppable. The same can be said about Bayern. After scoring the first goal, Bayern has dropped points only once in all competitions- a 1-1 draw against Napoli.
The referee for this match is Howard Webb. You might be thinking why I am bringing up Webb considering United is not taking part in the semi-finals. Well, Webb refereed the 2010 Champions League final between Jose Mourinho’s Inter and Bayern. Bayern was trailing 0-1; they had placed Inter under considerable pressure. A crystal clear handball by Walter Samuel in the penalty area was missed by Webb. That penalty might have changed the course of that final.
There is also the small matter of Robben playing against his former club. Robben is not everybody’s favourite man in Munich following his abysmal display against Dortmund. Against Mainz, as mentioned before, the team wasn’t really up for the game and Robben didn’t get a chance to ‘apologize’ with a good display. Robben was forced out of Madrid due to political matters and due to his countless injuries. At Bayern, he won the domestic double and played in a Champions League final in his first season.
There are two other subplots to this match: Jose Mourinho and Real’s record against Bayern. Mourinho has beaten Bayern with his Chelsea and Inter sides. Mourinho mastered them in the 2010 Champions League final- however, the Bayern side he is playing this time around is much more well balanced than 2010’s exciting and erratic Bayern.
Real has beaten Bayern six times in eighteen meetings. Bayern has won ten of those. Real has never in all those meetings registered a win in Munich. History counts for very little though and Bayern undoubtedly is an under-dog in this clash. This season could still end without a trophy for Bayern and that is unacceptable in Munich.
The last meeting between these two sides took place in the 2006-07 season. Real Madrid took a comfortable 3-1 lead but conceded a late goal from the Dutch captain everybody loves to hate, Mark Van Bommel in the first leg. In the second leg, Roy Makaay scored the fastest goal in Champions League history (10.16 seconds) to open the scoring. A 66th minute goal from Lucio assured Bayern’s passage to the quarter-finals. A late goal by Ruud Van Nistelrooy made for nothing but a thrilling finale.
Madrid has a strong bench and Mourinho has numerous players to call upon according to requirements. Bayern has a relatively small squad. They will field their best eleven on the pitch. Bastian Schweinsteiger is fit and ready to start a Champions League match for the first time since October 2011. This is what he had to say:
“We have to go to the limits and beyond, but we can do it with our fans behind us. It won’t be easy, and it comes down to mental strength. I hope we show the mentality which marks Bayern out.”
So, what will happen in this first leg? It is a match which is incredibly difficult to predict. Bayern will provide Real’s first ‘stiff’ test in the competition considering they have yet to play a team from England, Spain, Germany and Italy in the Champions League. Real’s toughest opposition was Lyon in the group stages.
The stage is set. Two European giants who haven’t won the trophy in a decade are desperate for a place in the final. For Bayern, the added incentive is of-course that the final will take place in their home ground. Will Maradona’s prediction come true?
Do you agree with Diego? Let me hear your thoughts.
When Michel Salgado in his last years as a Real Madrid player was asked which team he would like to play in the Champions League knock out stage, he had simply answered that he would be glad to play any team but Bayern. Bayern is called ‘La Bestia Negra’ in Madrid. That phrase roughly translates to: ‘The Black Beast.’
“This (Bayern) is an example of a well-run, democratic club which I personally think will defeat Real Madrid to reach the final of the Champions League against Barcelona.”
The above quote is from Diego Maradona, the legendary Argentine player. This tie at this point has an almost completely different look from a week ago. FC Bayern was contending for a possible treble then. Now, they sit eight points behind Dortmund. Dortmund needs two points from three games to win the title. In other words, Bayern requires two more points to be guaranteed second place in the Bundesliga.
Now, what does this mean for Madrid? It perhaps means that Madrid will be facing a stronger Bayern than they expected. However, the team morale as Jupp Heynckes admitted was low heading into Saturday’s clash against Mainz following news of Dortmund’s victory in the Ruhr derby. Bayern will be coming into the match following two rather mediocre performances against Dortmund and Mainz.
Bayern’s attack is known to be their weapon. Bayern’s attack on their day can almost batter any team placed in front of them. Their defence is looked upon as a weakness. However, a closer look at the stats might suggest otherwise. While the attack is brilliant, Bayern has been shut out eight times in all competitions this season. The defence meanwhile has been doing a good job- they have kept 29 clean sheets in all competitions this season.
Real Madrid has already equaled the highest number of goals ever scored in a single La Liga season: 107. The record incidentally was set by a previous Real Madrid side. Once Real Madrid scores, they are unstoppable. The same can be said about Bayern. After scoring the first goal, Bayern has dropped points only once in all competitions- a 1-1 draw against Napoli.
The referee for this match is Howard Webb. You might be thinking why I am bringing up Webb considering United is not taking part in the semi-finals. Well, Webb refereed the 2010 Champions League final between Jose Mourinho’s Inter and Bayern. Bayern was trailing 0-1; they had placed Inter under considerable pressure. A crystal clear handball by Walter Samuel in the penalty area was missed by Webb. That penalty might have changed the course of that final.
There is also the small matter of Robben playing against his former club. Robben is not everybody’s favourite man in Munich following his abysmal display against Dortmund. Against Mainz, as mentioned before, the team wasn’t really up for the game and Robben didn’t get a chance to ‘apologize’ with a good display. Robben was forced out of Madrid due to political matters and due to his countless injuries. At Bayern, he won the domestic double and played in a Champions League final in his first season.
There are two other subplots to this match: Jose Mourinho and Real’s record against Bayern. Mourinho has beaten Bayern with his Chelsea and Inter sides. Mourinho mastered them in the 2010 Champions League final- however, the Bayern side he is playing this time around is much more well balanced than 2010’s exciting and erratic Bayern.
Real has beaten Bayern six times in eighteen meetings. Bayern has won ten of those. Real has never in all those meetings registered a win in Munich. History counts for very little though and Bayern undoubtedly is an under-dog in this clash. This season could still end without a trophy for Bayern and that is unacceptable in Munich.
The last meeting between these two sides took place in the 2006-07 season. Real Madrid took a comfortable 3-1 lead but conceded a late goal from the Dutch captain everybody loves to hate, Mark Van Bommel in the first leg. In the second leg, Roy Makaay scored the fastest goal in Champions League history (10.16 seconds) to open the scoring. A 66th minute goal from Lucio assured Bayern’s passage to the quarter-finals. A late goal by Ruud Van Nistelrooy made for nothing but a thrilling finale.
Madrid has a strong bench and Mourinho has numerous players to call upon according to requirements. Bayern has a relatively small squad. They will field their best eleven on the pitch. Bastian Schweinsteiger is fit and ready to start a Champions League match for the first time since October 2011. This is what he had to say:
“We have to go to the limits and beyond, but we can do it with our fans behind us. It won’t be easy, and it comes down to mental strength. I hope we show the mentality which marks Bayern out.”
So, what will happen in this first leg? It is a match which is incredibly difficult to predict. Bayern will provide Real’s first ‘stiff’ test in the competition considering they have yet to play a team from England, Spain, Germany and Italy in the Champions League. Real’s toughest opposition was Lyon in the group stages.
The stage is set. Two European giants who haven’t won the trophy in a decade are desperate for a place in the final. For Bayern, the added incentive is of-course that the final will take place in their home ground. Will Maradona’s prediction come true?
Do you agree with Diego? Let me hear your thoughts.
