Bayern hosts Real Madrid in a duel of giants at the start of the Champions League semi-finals – Champions League

Bayern hosts the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals and will try to end a long dry spell against Real Madrid, in a true duel of giants scheduled for this Tuesday night, starting from 8 p.m.

Face to face are the two teams that have reached the semi-finals of the competition the most times. It is therefore natural that this is nothing more, nothing less than the eighth semi-final of the competition between the two clubs – five more than any other duel in the history of the competition.

The history of clashes shows balance, with 11 victories for Bayern and 12 for Real in 26 games in European club competitions. Real Madrid, however, came out on top in the last three ties played between the two teams, the most recent also in the semi-finals, in 2017/18.

This season, Bayern fell short of expectations internally, even with Harry Kane shining brightly, and after 11 seasons they let the Bundesliga title slip away to an unstoppable Bayer Leverkusen. Real Madrid is about to regain the title in the Spanish League.

In the Champions League, however, the story is different and, here, both teams present an excellent series of results. Real Madrid are unbeaten in seven games (W6 D1), all in the knockout stages of the Champions League, while Bayern have been successful in four of their last seven matches.

Both teams beat English teams in the quarter-finals. Bayern defeated Arsenal in Munich after drawing with the Gunners in the first leg in London. Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid resisted enormous pressure from Manchester City in the second leg to eliminate the hosts and title holders on penalties.

Probable Elevens

Bayern: Neuer; Kimmich, Kim, Dier, Mazraoui; Goretzka, Pavlović; Sané, Musiala, Warrior; Kane

Real Madrid: Lunin; Vázquez, Tchouaméni, Rüdiger, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Camavinga, Bellingham; Vinícius, Rodrygo