The UEFA Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid kicks off Tuesday with a delicious first leg at the Allianz Arena in Germany. Bayern is looking to salvage a rocky season, while Real Madrid is trying to re-assert itself as the king of European soccer.
Both Bayern and Madrid eliminated English Premier League title contenders — Arsenal and Manchester City, respectively — in the quarterfinals. Both are giants of the sport. They have previously met seven teams in the Champions League semi-finals. They have won the competition and its predecessor, the European Cup, a combined 20 teams (Real Madrid 14, Bayern six).
But their 2023-24 seasons have been very different. Real Madrid is waltzing toward a La Liga title. Bayern, meanwhile, has relinquished the German Bundesliga crown for the first time in over a decade. Its coach, Thomas Tuchel, is persistently under fire. Without a trip to the Champions League final, this year would represent the club’s biggest failure in a while.
For all of those reasons, Bayern was an underdog in the quarters. But Joshua Kimmich’s crucial season-half header secured a 1-0 second leg victory over Arsenal, and a 3-2 aggregate win.
Real Madrid will likely be a tougher test, but in the last two semifinal meetings between the clubs, Bayern prevailed.
Tuesday’s first leg kicks off at 3 pm ET (9 pm in Munich). The second leg is next Wednesday, May 8.
The other semifinal, Paris Saint-Germain against Borussia Dortmund, is tomorrow and next Tuesday.
You can follow the Bayern Munich-Real Madrid match with Yahoo Sports below:
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