Overview
Alvaro Arbeloa hopes to join the ranks of legends when Real Madrid hosts Bayern Munich in an exciting Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid won convincingly 5-1 overall against Manchester City in the round of 16 to establish a top-level confrontation in the quarter-finals with familiar opponent Bayern, who crushed Atalanta 10-2 after two legs.
Under Arbeloa's leadership, Real Madrid has won all 4 of their recent knockout matches in the Champions League. This means that the Spanish coach could become the third person to win all 5 of the first knockout matches in this tournament, after Hansi Flick (with Bayern in the 2019-2020 season) and Luis Enrique (with Barcelona in the 2014-2015 season).
However, the fact that Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich is considered one of the championship candidates is not without reason.
Only in the 2019-2020 season (3.9) and 1972-1973 (3.7) did Bayern have a higher average number of goals in a C1/Champions League campaign than this season (3.2). They have scored more goals this season under Kompany (32 goals after 10 matches) compared to the first season he led the team in the 2024-2025 season (31 goals after 14 matches).
Real Madrid (22 times) and Bayern Munich (24 times) have reached the Champions League quarter-finals more than any other team. The Royal team has the best record in this period with 17 semi-final appearances, while the German team has been eliminated in this round more than any other team (10 times).
Moreover, Real Madrid (309) and Bayern Munich (248) are the two teams with the most wins in C1/Champions League history. Among the teams that have played more than 50 matches, they are also the two teams with the highest win rate, with a very small difference: Real Madrid (60.23%) and Bayern (60.19%).
Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are expected to make a difference in this match. Mbappe has scored 13 goals in 9 Champions League matches this season, averaging one goal per 56 minutes - only behind Erling Haaland in the 2019-2020 season (55 minutes/goal).
Meanwhile, Kane is the only English player to score more than 10 goals in two consecutive Champions League seasons (11 goals in the 2024-2025 season, 10 goals in the 2025-2026 season), and is also the top scorer in the league since joining Bayern with 29 goals in 34 matches.
In terms of force, Real Madrid is facing difficulties as Thibaut Courtois continues to be absent due to a groin muscle injury. Dani Ceballos and Ferland Mendy are also unable to play, while Rodrygo is a long-term substitute.
On Bayern's side, Kane was absent in the 3-2 victory over Freiburg last weekend, but it is likely that the England captain will recover in time to participate in the match at the Bernabeu.
Head-to-head record
Bayern Munich has not won any match in the last 9 confrontations with Real Madrid, with 2 draws and 7 defeats.
Since a 12-match winless streak against Werder Bremen in the 1988-1993 period, Bayern has never experienced a 10-match winless streak against an opponent in all competitions.
The confrontation between the two teams is also the most frequent match in the history of major European tournaments. All 28 encounters took place in the C1/Champions League, including 26 matches within the framework of the main round.
Score prediction: Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
The match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich takes place at 2:00 a.m. on April 8 (Vietnam time).
