Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid

This year’s Champions League final will be held at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena – and Jupp Heynckes side will be desperate to force a first leg lead in Bavaria when they take on Real Madrid in the last four to give themselves the best possible chance of reaching the showpiece on their home turf.

As expected, this tie is an extremely open betting heat, especially for the first leg where the hosts are narrowly preferred at a best priced 7/4, with Real at 15/8.

In terms of overall qualification, Bayern are 13/8 to progress with Madrid a 4/9 shot – however those odds will surely invert if Munich can attain a significant advantage ahead of the second leg in the Spanish capital.

And despite the quality of Real Madrid as typified by their dominance at the summit of La Liga, it would be hard to oppose Bayern at the Allianz Arena which has proved a daunting fortress thus far in Europe.

After breezing through the group phase courtesy of three important victories in Germany, Bayern went on to crush Basle 7-0 at home before sealing a 4-0 aggregate quarter-final triumph over Marseille thanks to a brace from experienced centre forward Ivica Olic.

This will undoubtedly be the first major test for the four time European champions in front of their own supporters in this season’s Champions League; nevertheless a positive result is surely attainable with confidence so high throughout a squad which possesses a wealth of quality and talent.

Real have improved massively in Europe this campaign with respect to recent years however the jury still has to be out when it comes down to facing other clubs of equal continental stature and reputation.

Madrid made light work of quarter-final opponents Apoel Nicosia, but this will inevitably be a different task altogether and Jose Mourinho’s men could be unusually starved of the ball in Munich with the likes of Schweinsteiger, Ribery and Robben in the Bayern line-up.

Crucially, Bayern have maximised their ability to dominate games and control the flow of play, something which Madrid are frequently used to doing domestically in La Liga.

But like Bayern, this is likely to be Madrid’s toughest assignment of the season to date and they may find it difficult to obtain a rhythm in the German’s back yard.

Mourinho would probably be happy with any kind of score draw here, but the match could really get stretched if Bayern can get off to a flyer.

The draw holds many possibilities at 5/2 if the visitors can lift their game but it is Bayern who are fancied to land decent odds by charging to a lead over the first ninety minutes.

Madrid’s defence has been suspect at times and the Spaniards could not wish to encounter a more potent forward line than that of their forthcoming opponents.

With Cristiano Ronaldo and a back to form Kaka still likely to feature enough for Los Merengues, Madrid can pinch an away goal but it may not be all that vital with Bayern more than capable of running out winners by more than just the most slender of margins.

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09/04/2012     © Frixo 2024