Bayern Munich confident against Real Madrid
The importance of the upcoming match in Madrid for Bayern has been summarized by Joshua Kimmich as follows: "Clearly very exciting. But to be honest, we have never won there, at least since I came here.
In fact, Bayern Munich has never won any knockout matches in four encounters with Real Madrid since the spectacular semi-final in 2012, when they advanced thanks to a penalty shootout despite losing 1-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. But that's not because Bayern is not on par with Los Blancos, as Kimmich emphasized.
This match is often decided by small details that make a difference and also a bit of luck. Two years ago, Bayern led Real for a long time at the Bernabeu but were later eliminated for conceding two late goals.
However, Bayern is currently completely different from two years ago and more importantly, this time they come to Madrid without worrying about injuries. "This year we have no players injured, which often happens every time we play here. We are really happy because everyone is ready," Kimmich emphasized.
Their impressive performances this season also strengthen the belief of the Bavarian team that their time may have come. With a 13-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, including 11 wins, Vincent Kompany's team has every reason to be confident.
Bayern Munich determined to change the situation
With Bayern Munich, Real Madrid is always the most difficult opponent in the UEFA Champions League. Munich has not won any of their last 9 official matches against Real Madrid, drawing 2 and losing 7 – one of the longest losing streaks in club history.
The 29th match in the history of confrontations between the two teams is the ideal stage for Bayern to reverse the situation in this classic rivalry.
The current situation is positive for Bayern. Vincent Kompany's team has shown superior scoring ability in this season's Champions League. Michael Olise and his teammates have scored 32 goals in the first 10 matches in the top European club tournament this season, more than last season (31 goals in 14 matches).
The main motivation behind this achievement is striker Kane, when he has scored 29 goals in 34 Champions League appearances since joining Bayern.
But Real Madrid's attacking power is also no less impressive. Mbappe scores 13 goals in 9 matches this season, averaging one goal in 56 minutes, a rate only slightly lower than Erling Haaland in the 2019-2020 season.
This attacking power is supplemented by Vinícius Junior, who often has dangerous attacks. No other player has performed more accelerations than the Brazilian striker this season with 133 times, including 20 times in the most recent match against Man City, the highest number in a knockout match in the Champions League this season.
In midfield, Bayern will rely on the role of Aleksandar Pavlovic, who has shown calmness in high pressure situations this season. 84.9% of Pavlovic's forward passes in pressure situations all come from teammates - the highest rate among 182 players who have made at least 50 such passes.
This quality will be a key factor for Bayern in a match where every moment and every pass between the lines can change the course of the match.
The first leg of the quarter-final Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich will take place at 2:00 AM on April 8.
