European football royalty face off on Wednesday evening when Bayern Munich welcome Real Madrid to the Allianz Arena. This will be the 25th times that the two European giants will take on each other, which is a record for the Champions League. As ever, you can watch all the action Live & Exclusive on beIN SPORTS CONNECT.
Bayern Munich has already been crowned Bundesliga champions, and caretaker boss Jupp Heynckes rang in the changes ahead of Wednesday’s game at the weekend against Hannover. Despite starting from the bench both Robert Lewandowski & Thomas Müller came on to score second-half goals, with the Bavarians eventually going on to win 3-0.
How to watch online- beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Channel- 11HD
Kick off- 9:45 pm (Mecca)
Stadium- Allianz Arena, Munich
Heynckes is set to leave the club in the summer, with Bayern already announcing his replacement in the form of former midfielder Niko Kovac. The veteran coach will be aiming to bow out of Munich with another Champions League crown, having guided Bayern to the crown in the 2012-2013 season. More impressive is the fact that Heynckes has reached the final of the Champions League in every campaign he has coached in.
In team news, Bayern will be without midfielders Arturo Vidal & Kingsley Coman who are out with long-term knee & ankle injuries. Keeper Manuel Neuer returned to training this week but is likely to be rested for this game.
Predicted team- Bayern Munich
Ulreich; Kimmich, Hummels, Boateng, Alaba; Martínez, Thiago; James, Müller, Ribéry; Lewandowski
As for Real, they needed a late second strike from Ronaldo as they drew 1-1 at home against Athletic Bilbao. Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane went with a strong side for the game, with the aim of building momentum ahead of the tie in Munich.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been on fire in the Champions League for Real this season. The Portuguese attacker has scored in the last 11 Champions League ties, including a stunning overhead kick away to Juventus in the quarter-finals. Zidane’s side always tend to raise themselves for this crucial Champions League ties and have won the last two Champions League crowns, you wouldn’t put it past Los Blancos to pick up a third.
Predicted team- Real Madrid
Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Casemiro, Modrić, Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo
It certainly promises to be a fascinating encounter when two European giants in Bayern Munich & Real Madrid face off in the first leg of a Champions League semi-final. As ever, you can watch all the action Live & Exclusive via beIN SPORTS CONNECT.
Score Prediction