Bayern out to be Real’s ‘bete noire’ again
BAYERN Munich host Real Madrid in tonight’s mouthwatering Champions League quarterfinal, first-leg, with Carlo Ancelotti’s Bavarians looking once again to be the Spaniards’ “bete noire”. And the subplots to the Allianz Arena clash are fascinating.
Ba y e r n b o s s Anc e l o t t i coached Real to the 2014 Champions League crown and is up against his former assistant from that triumph, Madrid’s current head coach Zinedine Zidane.
World Cup 2010 winner Xabi Alonso, who also won the 2014 Champions League before joining Bayern, will face his ex-club for the last time before retiring in June.
And Real’s Germany midfielder Toni Kroos is another to be coming up against his former employers.
Ancelotti says “little things will make the difference” between the star-studded squads that will see two goalscoring giants go head-tohead.
Bayern’s top-scorer Robert Lewandowski, with 38 goals in all competitions this season, is up against Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, with 26 goals from 36 games.
That may be modest by his standards, but Ronaldo has tormented Bayern in the past with four goals in as many games and the Bavarians will be wary, especially with back- up from Wales star Gareth Bale and France’s Karim Benzema.
Lewandowski (pictured, AFP) suffered a bruised shoulder in scoring twice in Saturday’s 4-1 hammering of Borussia Dortmund, but expects to be “100 percent” fit.
Bayern are on a Champions League record of 16 straight European wins at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern are looking to recover their bete noire nickname, given to them by Real fans after Munich won eight of 14 matches against Real between 2000 and 2012.
‘Sounds like a final’
All that changed in the 2014 Champions League’s semifinal w h e n t h e t e a m coached by Pep Guardiola wasas thrashed 4-0 in Munich, unich, crashing out 5-0 -0 on aggregate as Ronaldo onaldo and Sergio Ramos amos netted twice each. ch.
That defeat feat remains Bayern’s record home European an loss, yet there is no talk of revenge ahead of tonight’s clash.
“This is the quarterfinals,, but it s o unds l i k e a final,” said id Bayern captain Philipp Lahm.
“We’re playing against an absoluteute top team, who have top players in every position – we will have to pla play to our potential.” “We’re very confident. It’s a European cracker featuringfeaturin two top teams,” saidsa fit-again forwardfor war Thomas Muller. “We a l s o notice it outou side the club,clu not only in terms of theth media, butbu also whenwhe t a l k i ng t o fr iends oro a c q u a i n t - a n c e s i n Munich. “E v e r y o n e e’s t a l k i ng about t heh game.”