Real Madrid take on Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final tonight after the first leg finished in a 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena.
Last week Vinicius Jr was on target twice for Madrid to cancel out goals by Leroy Sane and Harry Kane for Bayern, leaving Thomas Tuchel’s side needing to pull off a win in the Santiago Bernabeu to reach the final. “It’s one of the most difficult stadiums to win in, but not impossible,” Tuchel said yesterday. “Given that they’re at home, it’s maybe at 51 per cent for Real.”
Madrid claimed their 36th La Liga title at the weekend having lost only one league match all season. Ahead of this second leg the manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said that “anything can happen” as Madrid bid to add to their 14 European Cups. “We respect [Bayern] because they did very well and better than us in the first leg,” he admitted.
Follow all the live action in the blog below and get the latest Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich predictions and tips.
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich LIVEHarry Kane reveals what Jude Bellingham said before Champions League penalty
17:00 , Sonia Twigg
The match ended in a 2-2 draw and Kane revealed that the 20-year-old told him what he’d said after the match.
“In the moment, I didn’t know what he said but I spoke to him after and he said: ‘I know you’re going to go left of the keeper’.” said Kane,
“On the pitch, I knew he was there but I didn’t know what he said. But I went left anyway. It was nice for me because I saw the keeper go a little bit early and I put it away.”
The penalty was Kane’s 43rd goal in 43 games in all competitions this season and helps Bayern in their aim of finishing the season by lifting the Champions League.
“It’s been a good season so far,” said Kane, who joined Bayern from Tottenham for an initial £86.4m last summer.
“Everything we’re fighting for this year is in this competition. It’ll be tough. We have to go [to the Bernabeu for the second leg] with full belief.
“I’m here for many years. It’s not a one-off year I’m here for. Of course at the start of the season the expectation was to win trophies. The Champions League is the biggest one. If we can somehow get our hands on that one, it would be an amazing season.
“These are the big games. The atmosphere was incredible. This is exactly why I came here, I want to be playing in these big games, these big moments.”
Harry Kane reveals what Jude Bellingham said before Champions League penalty
16:45 , Sonia Twigg
Harry Kane has revealed what Jude Bellingham said to him in the build-up to his crucial penalty kick during Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
The score was level at 1-1 when Bayern were awarded the penalty and the young Real Madrid midfielder attempted to play some mindgames with his England captain.
Bellingham could be seen whispering to the striker as he placed the ball before being marshalled out of the box and Kane has now disclosed that Bellingham said “you’re going to go left of the keeper” in an effort to distract the Bayern star.
From his perspective, Kane did shoot left of goalkeeper Andriy Lunin who leapt in the opposite direction but added that he did not initially hear Bellingham’s suggestion.
Owen Hargreaves backs Harry Kane to deliver for Bayern Munich in Madrid
16:30 , Sonia Twigg
Hargreaves, who will be part of TNT Sport’s coverage of the second leg, added: “Harry’s football intelligence is special. We know that Harry will be there (with a performance) on Wednesday night. It is just, ‘Will the supporting cast be there?’
“The front players will create and score, so Bayern just have to tidy up at back and if they can do that then they give themselves a good chance.”
England midfielder Jude Bellingham will be hoping to help Real end the England captain’s European ambitions.
Hargreaves feels Bellingham has been “exceptional” this season after joining from Borussia Dortmund and believes the 20-year-old is one of several players who can help inspire England to a successful Euro 2024 campaign.
“Jude is at probably the biggest pressure club in the world in Real Madrid,” said Hargreaves, who won 42 England caps, playing at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup as well as Euro 2004.
“The way he adapts and manages that pressure to play to the level he has is exceptional.
“You know with Harry he is going to guarantee you goals, but I am just so excited about Phil (Foden) and Cole Palmer, (Bukayo) Saka and Declan (Rice), we have got so much to look forward to.
“There is pressure, but it is good pressure because they are creating something quite special.
“I am just excited to see how we put it all together, all the pieces of the puzzle.”
PA
Owen Hargreaves backs Harry Kane to deliver for Bayern Munich in Madrid
16:15 , Sonia Twigg
“Obviously it hasn’t gone according to plan in the Bundesliga, but you have got to take your hat off to Leverkusen, because they have been spectacular,” Hargreaves told the PA news agency.
“Bayern just haven’t been consistent in the big games for multiple reasons – but definitely not Harry Kane.
“On the pitch and off the pitch, everybody has been so impressed by Harry – he is kind of the humble superstar.
“I am proud of him in a way for leaving his comfort zone and trying something new, I think every player should do it.
“It is easy to stay home, but when you leave you can learn a new language and culture.
“He probably wishes he won a couple of trophies this season, but next year I am sure there will be great opportunities.
“And let’s be honest, Harry could still win the two biggest ones of his life this season – the Champions League and the Euros – so that puts him in the Ballon d’Or conversation.”
Owen Hargreaves backs Harry Kane to deliver for Bayern Munich in Madrid
16:00 , Sonia Twigg
“Humble superstar” Harry Kane can spur Bayern Munich on to Champions League success before setting his sights on Euro 2024 glory, according to former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves.
Bayern head to Real Madrid for the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday night, which will be shown live on TNT Sports, with the tie delicately poised at 2-2.
Kane, who converted a spot-kick in the first meeting, has impressed in Germany following his big-money summer move from Tottenham, scoring 36 Bundesliga goals.
Despite Kane’s consistency in front of goal, setting a new record for a player in their first Bundesliga season, a first major trophy has so far continued to elude the England captain as Bayer Leverkusen marched to the title.
But Hargreaves, who moved to Bayern as a 16-year-old from Canada and went on to win four league titles and the Champions League before joining Manchester United, feels there could yet be a golden end to Kane’s campaign.
How Borussia Dortmund stood up to football’s superpowers and won
15:45 , Sonia Twigg
So much for the supposed predictability of the Champions League. Kylian Mbappe will have to go to Real Madrid to try and win it. There will be no fairytale farewell in the colours of his hometown club. Mbappe and co were denied a goal by Dortmund, though they may long wonder how.
Fortune scarcely favoured them. They struck the woodwork six times across the tie, four of them in Paris. They had 45 shots over the two legs, 30 of them in France. After a host of misses in Germany last week, there were further cases of poor finishing. Yet there were even more instances of wonderful defending. PSG encountered a yellow wall: not the huge bank of fans in the Signal Iduna Park but a defence in which Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck were outstanding.
Terzic got his tactics right, too. When PSG mounted an onslaught midway through the second half, he brought on Niklas Sule as a third centre-back. Part of the plan at the start involved doubling up on the flanks: Sancho was charged with helping Julian Ryerson against Mbappe, for instance.
How Borussia Dortmund stood up to football’s superpowers and won
How Borussia Dortmund stood up to football’s superpowers and won
15:30 , Sonia Twigg
A look at the other semi-final:
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not in a Champions League dominated by the same familiar faces, by the superpowers and the Premier League’s moneyed elite. Not for the club who sold Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland or the team many expected to perish in the group of death or the side who blew the Bundesliga on the final day of last season. Not for Edin Terzic, the nice-guy manager who has spent parts of his reign seemingly in danger of being replaced.
But Borussia Dortmund are in the Champions League final. Perceived as the weakest side in the last eight, seen as the outsiders in the semi-finals, they will now be underdogs at Wembley on 1 June. They have got there against the odds – financial and footballing – but with an ethos that makes them look an outlier in the 21st century. This was a triumph for the people’s club against the Qatari project as well as yet another missed opportunity for Paris Saint-Germain, who find new ways to not win the Champions League.
The heartwarming stories instead belonged to the visitors. To the boyhood supporter Terzic, who joins Ottmar Hitzfeld and Jurgen Klopp in taking Dortmund to a Champions League final. To the match-winner Mats Hummels, a survivor of the 2013 final, a player who admitted he thought his last chance of reaching another had gone. To the departing Marco Reus, whose final game for Dortmund will be the biggest of his life. To Jadon Sancho, too, whose season involved four months training with the Under-18s at Manchester United and could end with the most prestigious medal of all.
Manuel Neuer spoke ahead of the match
15:15 , Sonia Twigg
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said it is always special to play a decisive match at the Bernabeu.“This stadium has something special, something historic,” he said. “There’s hardly another stadium in Europe where it’s better to get to play. We’re all excited. You need to keep your head when it’s emotional in a stadium like this and against a team like this. You need to trust yourself. You need to turn external factors into something positive. We’ll try to do that.”
Via AP
Tuchel: Bayern have an obligation to do their best
15:00 , Sonia Twigg
Bayern were undone by a clinical Real in the first leg, with the German side dominating for large periods without putting their opponents to the sword.
Two goals from Real’s Vinicius Jr. either side of efforts from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane left the tie poised on a knife edge, but with Real favourites to advance with the second leg in Spain.
Real, the record 14 times winners, have an aura in the Champions League, but Tuchel said the Spaniards’ record holds no fear for his side.
“Bayern are also one of the most successful and dominant clubs in the world and we have an obligation to do our best when we step on the pitch tomorrow,” he said.
“You don’t talk about myths, that would make it harder for us. It is already one of the toughest stadiums to win but not impossible. We are not here to enjoy the moment.”
Bayern reached the Champions League’s last four for the first time since winning the competition in 2020, while Madrid last lifted the trophy in 2022 with an amazing run of comeback wins at home to reach the final.
Real are bidding to win their sixth Champions League title in 10 years having clinched a record-extending 36th LaLiga crown on Saturday.
The Bavarians, however, have endured a disappointing domestic run and Tuchel will exit at the end of the season.
“Real Madrid are an amazing team but we need to be confident in ourselves and help each other, we can’t be stuck or afraid. We need to make something positive from the pressure,” Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said.
“Against a team like Real Madrid, it’s the little things that matter. Nobody wants to make a mistake because both teams have very good offensive power.”
Bayern boss Tuchel tells players to find their inner child at Bernabeu
14:45 , Sonia Twigg
Playing against Real Madrid in a Champions League semi-final is what many of Bayern Munich’s players would have grown up dreaming about and manager Thomas Tuchel wants his side to rediscover their inner child at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
After last week’s 2-2 draw in Germany, Bayern will have to beat Real in their own back yard if they are to reach the final at Wembley.
With Bayer Leverkusen ending Bayern’s 11-year Bundesliga reign by securing the league title last month, the six-times European Cup winners have only one trophy left to fight for this season.
Tuchel spent several minutes talking to his players in an empty Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Tuesday and said that he told them they needed to find extra motivation within themselves.
“It is important to connect with your own inner child. When we were little we played these games in the garden. So now we are here and that’s our chance to make it true,” he told a press conference in Madrid.
“I think both teams have to endure defending and suffering when their opponents have the ball. It is extremely difficult to steal the ball from Real Madrid. Both teams are very, very strong in the transition game. It gets very complex. You need luck and precision. Then everything is possible at this stage.”
Reuters
Real Madrid v Bayern Munich: Lunin to start in goal
14:30 , Lawrence Ostlere
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is not taking any chances in goal for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich tonight, keeping Andriy Lunin as the goalkeeper despite Thibaut Courtois’ return from injury last weekend.
Ancelotti said Tuesday he will stick to the plan of starting Lunin at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium even though Courtois had an assured performance in the 3-0 win over Cadiz on Saturday, which allowed Madrid to clinch the Spanish league title
Courtois did well in his first match since tearing the ACL in his left knee in August, two days before the start of the season. He then also ruptured the meniscus in his right knee in March when he was close to making a comeback.
“Lunin will play tomorrow,” Ancelotti said Tuesday. “Courtois has to take his time to get back to his best. He played against Cadiz after training very well and had an excellent game, showing security and confidence, but he has to get back to his best.”
Lunin has impressed since replacing Courtois. The 25-year-old Ukrainian won the starting position over Kepa Arrizabalaga, the former Chelsea player who is Madrid’s other reserve goalkeeper.
But Lunin made a couple of mistakes in the recent “clasico” against Barcelona, prompting criticism and reigniting the discussion about who should start.
Andriy Lunin will continue with the gloves (AP)
Predicted line-ups
14:10 , Lawrence Ostlere
So here’s how the two sides could line up tonight at the Bernabeu:
Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Tchouameni; Bellingham; Vinicius, Rodrygo.
Bayern Munich XI: Neuer; Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui; Laimer, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Musiala; Kane.
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: Team news
13:58 , Lawrence Ostlere
Carlo Ancelotti will stick with Andriy Lunin in goal having deputised well this season, despite the return to fitness of Madrid’s first-choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois. David Alaba remains absent.
For Bayern, Raphael Guerreiro will miss the second leg after injuring his ankle, though Matthis de Ligt has returned to full training. Eric Dier suffered a forehead injury against Stuttgart but was able to train on Monday.
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: How to watch the game tonight
13:44 , Lawrence Ostlere
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 7pm BST ahead of kick-off at 8pm. Subscribers can stream the action via discovery+.
You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
13:36 , Lawrence Ostlere
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich vie for a place in the Champions League final with their tie finely poised after the first leg.
A Vinicius Jr double secured a 2-2 draw in Germany for Carlo Ancelotti’s side to take the semi-final back to the Bernabeu level.
But despite a below-par Bundesliga season, Bayern have managed to lift their level in this competition and again showed the qualities required to reach the Wembley decider.
It could well be a thrilling night in the Spanish capital with two of Europe’s biggest clubs eyeing continental silverware.
Vinicius Jr scored twice in the first leg (Getty Images)
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 May 2024 17:26 , Sonia Twigg
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich, the Champions League final second leg.
We will be bringing you all the build up, team news and live coverage of the match at the Bernabeu.
