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Ladies and gentlemen, it is time! Real Madrid and Bayern Munich - the eternal European rivals are all set to write another chapter in their long history of epic knockout clashes. Tomorrow, the Allianz Arena will host the first leg of the semifinals between Real Madrid and the Bavarians.
Zinedine Zidane's men are eyeing a historic third consecutive UEFA Champions League title - a trophy that will make this season a success. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich are looking for yet another treble season with the league already in the bag and the club entering the DFB Pokal final last week.
Bayern Munich will be eyeing revenge as it was Real Madrid who dumped them out of Europe last season with a 6-3 aggregate. But the situation has turned altogether for the Munich side, right from a change in manager to the side looking more settled than before.
These two sides are so evenly matched that calling a favourite for this tie might be a travesty. But there are a few solid reasons that make Bayern Munich appear like they have a slight upper hand. In this piece, we will discuss at length the five key reasons as to why Bayern Munich will beat Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals:
#5 Bayern Munich's stellar home record
The Allianz Arena has always been an intimidating ground to visit for any side. Currently, Bayern Munich are unbeaten at home since last April and have been steamrolling past teams at home this season. In their last two home games, Bayern Munich have scored an astonishing total of 11 goals.
Jupp Heynckes has also won 14 out of his 16 UEFA Champions League matches at the Allianz Arena which can be considered to be a good omen going into the first leg. In those 16 matches, Heynckes' men have scored 48 goals and conceded just 10.
Though Real Madrid have won on their last two visits to Bayern Munich, the situation has taken a turn for the good for the Bavarians. They have won 19 out of their 22 matches at home this season and look like a different side, and a terrifying prospect when playing in front of their supporters.
#4 The Jupp Heynckes effect
Back in early October, Bayern Munich were struggling in the Bundesliga and had just been humiliated by Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. The club decided to sack Carlo Ancelotti and bring back 72-year-old Jupp Heynckes for his third stint with the German giants. And look at Bayern Munich now!
Winning the league in April, entering the semis of DFB Pokal and now into the final four of the Champions League, Jupp Heynckes has done a stellar job since returning. A squad that was on the cusp of revolt against Carlo Ancelotti has been seemingly rejuvenated by Heynckes with his man management skills being a massive success.
The revival in form of the likes of Javi Martinez, Thomas Muller and James Rodriguez are a testament to Jupp Heynckes' management. Also, the veteran has reached the Champions League final on both the previous occasions while managing Bayern Munich and will be looking to make it three out of three.
#3 Over-reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo
The great man is in the form of his life! Scoring in 12 consecutive matches and in 11 consecutive Champions League games, Ronaldo has single-handedly been carrying Real Madrid since the turn of the year.
To put things into perspective, Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in Europe this season. The next best for the club? Karim Benzema and Marcelo, with just 2 goals. In all competitions, Ronaldo has 42 goals to his name. Gareth Bale comes second with just 14 goals.
Bayern Munich do have a task on their hands to stop the Portuguese hitman who has literally been scoring for fun in Europe. But stopping him will be more than half the battle won for the Bavarians.
Real Madrid struggle for inspiration on the field from anyone other Cristiano Ronaldo and if Bayern Munich can stifle Madrid's talisman, the visitors may be in for a long night at the Allianz Arena.
#2 Javi Martinez's impressive run of form
One of the best decisions that Jupp Heynckes has made since returning to management is reinstalling Javi Martinez at his favoured CDM position. He has been played in defence by the previous two Bayern Munich managers but installing him to shield the defence has been a tactical masterstroke from the manager.
We have discussed Real Madrid's reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo in the previous point. Real Madrid play in a 4-4-2 diamond formation with Isco playing at the tip of it. The midfield quartet provides the perfect service to Ronaldo which has enabled him to score goals left, right and centre.
Martinez can be hailed as the perfect man to stop Isco from influencing the game. His tackling and his brilliant game sense can help Bayern Munich dominate the midfield and deny the Real Madrid strikers the service they seek.
Martinez played a similar role when Bayern Munich last won the UEFA Champions League, as Heynckes will certainly depend on the experienced midfielder to do the needful yet again.
#1 Bayern Munich can brutally expose Real Madrid's weaknesses
This season has been a roller coaster ride for Real Madrid. Despite struggling in domestic competitions, Los Blancos have been one of the best sides in the Champions League. They look a different animal in Europe and have shown that in their wins over PSG and Juventus. But as any top side, Real Madrid have their share of weaknesses.
As seen in the second leg defeat against Juventus, Real Madrid's full-backs were badly exposed to the width being used by the Italians. Marcelo considers himself a winger whereas Dani Carvajal has been highly inconsistent this season.
Casemiro can be targeted with a high pressing game and if Isco is kept in check, it is highly unlikely that Cristiano Ronaldo will get any service on the night.
Bayern Munich have the perfect fullbacks to target their Real Madrid counterparts. David Alaba and Joshua Kimmich can perfectly peg Marcelo and Carvajal back and catch them on the break. Javi Martinez can man mark Isco whereas the duo of Thiago and James Rodriguez can press Casemiro until he makes a mistake.
It can be said that out of the three remaining teams that Real Madrid could have faced, Bayern Munich is the one that can target their weaknesses and manipulate them to the fullest.
