Bayern Munich host Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday. Here are five matchups that could decide the result.
On Wednesday, Bayern Munich host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. Bayern and Real have met in the semifinal six times before, with Bayern winning four times. However, Real Madrid have had more recent success. Zinedine Zidane’s side have won five straight games and eliminated Bayern in the quarterfinals last year.
Bayern Munich are looking to send Jupp Heynckes off with another treble, as the manager is set to retire for a second time at the end of the season. The German giants have already clinched the Bundesliga title and advanced to the DFB Pokal final after destroying Bayer Leverkusen in the semis.
Real needed an injury-time penalty to advance to the semifinal, ending Juventus’ comeback attempt. While the Spanish giants have had a disappointing season in La Liga, sitting 15 points behind Barcelona, they can become the first club since Bayern Munich (1974-76) to win three straight European Cups.
James Rodriguez vs. Toni Kroos
James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos have been on both sides of this rivalry. Rodriguez was part of Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning sides of the last two seasons, but having fallen out of favor with Zidane he moved to Bayern over the summer. Kroos was part of Bayern’s last Champions League-winning side in 2013. However, Kroos and Bayern couldn’t come to a contract extension, allowing the midfielder to join Real Madrid in July of 2014.
On the field, Rodriguez and Kroos will both attempt to control possession in the middle of the field. Rodriguez will play slightly higher up the pitch, while Kroos typically operates in a deeper role behind Isco. Regardless, the two players will have a big role to play in ensuring their teams control possession like they’re used to.
Javi Martinez vs. Isco
When Heynckes took over for Carlo Ancelotti, one of the first moves he made was changing Martinez’s position. Under Ancelotti, Martinez would rotate in as a center-back, and saw limited playing time. Since Heynckes returned, Martinez has operated as a defensive midfielder, a move which almost immediately improved Bayern’s defense and provided better link play between defense and attack.
In that role, he’ll be tasked with keeping tabs on Isco, who will likely play behind two strikers in a 4-3-1-2. Isco has scored eight goals and has nine assists in all competitions this season. The Spanish midfielder has become a key cog for Zidane’s Real, equally capable recycling possession in midfield as he is playing defense-splitting passes for the players in front of him.
The Spaniard was superb in the quarterfinals last year, and played a big role in Real’s quarterfinal win against Juve. If Martinez is able to limit his contribution, Bayern will have a great chance of stifling the Los Blancos attack.
Joshua Kimmich vs. Marcelo
Kimmich will start at right-back for Bayern, while Marcelo starts at left-back for Madrid. Both players bring similar styles of play to the field and will try to push forward and join the attack.
Kimmich might be the best young full-back in the world. The Bayern right-back has almost seamlessly replaced former captain Philipp Lahm. Kimmich provides Bayern with strong defensive play and aggressively gets forward when they have the ball. Bayern’s attack is at its best when Kimmich is able to make overlapping runs which allow more space for Arjen Robben to make his trademark cuts inside.
If there’s a weakness to Kimmich’s game, it’s that he can be pressured into mistakes. Zidane decided to use a very high press against PSG and will likely try using a similar strategy against Bayern, attempting to prevent Kimmich from getting forward.
In last year’s quarterfinal, Marcelo was the best player on the field in the second leg. The Brazilian full-back provided stellar defense and his ability to get forward created the winning goals for Madrid in extra time. A year later, Zidane will be looking for a similar performance from his full-back. When Real Madrid are at their best, Marcelo almost turns into a winger, showing offensive flair and creativity. Defensively, he was exposed in the quarterfinal second leg against Juve, but if his attacking game is clicking, those defensive shortcomings may prove insignificant.
Robert Lewandowski vs. Sergio Ramos
Robert Lewandowski is Bayern’s only truly irreplaceable player. The Polish striker has had another excellent season, scoring 39 goals and adding four assists in 43 games. As that record suggests, he’s a lethal finisher, especially in the penalty area. With the number of creative threats in Bayern’s side, shutting Lewandowski down is no easy task.
While Sergio Ramos has received criticism throughout his career for undisciplined play and the number of cards he’s shown, there’s no question he’s one of the best defenders of his generation and that Real Madrid are better with him on the field. Ramos was suspended for the second leg against Juventus for card accumulation and Juventus scored three goals and nearly came back to win.
Even as he enters his mid-30s, Ramos is still one of Real’s most important players. If Real prevent Lewandowski from scoring, they’ll likely win (the Polish striker has failed to score in all four of the games Bayern have lost this season). That responsibility will have to be shared, but Ramos, as Real’s leader and the more aggressive of their two center-backs, bears the brunt of it. This should be a fascinating battle between two of the best in the world in their respective positions.
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Jerome Boateng vs. Cristiano Ronaldo
The most important matchup over the two legs will be the one between Jerome Boateng and Cristiano Ronaldo. For Madrid to win, they need Ronaldo to find the back of the net. For Bayern to advance, stopping Ronaldo is their top priority. Whichever side wins that matchup will likely advance to the final.
In last year’s quarterfinal, Ronaldo scored five goals over the two legs. In his career against Bayern, he has nine goals and one assist. Very few players in the history of the sport have combined the pace, size and skill of Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar is having one of the best Champions League campaigns of his career, scoring in all 10 games so far.
Boateng is still in the conversation as one of the world’s best center-backs, despite injuries slowing him down in recent years. Against Real Madrid, Boateng needs to stay as close as possible to Ronaldo and not allow him any space. Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in Champions League this season and seems to capitalize on any space he’s given. It’s Boateng’s task to limit that space as much as possible.