Real’s ‘BBC’ out to reignite spark against Bayern
Storybook Leicester ready for hardened Atletico
MADRID, April 11, (RTRS): Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to rekindle some of the magic they once served up under Carlo Ancelotti on Wednesday when they face their old coach in the latest edition of Real Madrid’s rivalry with Bayern Munich.
Real’s ‘BBC’ trident enjoyed one of their most productive nights under Ancelotti the last time they were in the Allianz Arena, running riot in a 4-0 win to inflict the heaviest ever defeat on a side coached by Pep Guardiola.
The expensively assembled trio have frequently been blamed by the Spanish media for Real’s unconvincing attacking displays this season, however, with the team relying on other parts of the team, not least defender Sergio Ramos, for goals.
The spotlight will be on the out-ofform trio in Wednesday’s quarter-final first leg in Germany as Real resume their bid to become the first team in the Champions League era to retain the trophy.
Bale, albeit while missed three months of action through injury, has endured his worst season since joining Real with nine goals in all competitions, while Ronaldo, with 19 in the league, is on course for his worst domestic tally since 2010.
Benzema, meanwhile, has also been far less prolific in domestic matches this year but is the team’s top scorer in the Champions League with five goals to only two each from his Portuguese and Welsh team mates.
There will be extra pressure on the forwards because of the absence from the Real defence of the injured Pepe and Raphael Varane, while Bayern will be missing defender Mats Hummels with an ankle problem.
Bayern’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski should be able to start, despite being forced off with a shoulder injury towards the end of the 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Games between the most successful clubs from Germany and Spain have thrown up plenty of violent scenes in the past, from Bayern goalkeeper Sepp Maier breaking Roberto Martinez’s nose in 1976 to Juanito stamping on Lothar Matthaus’s head in 1987.
Bayern’s Arjen Robben, however, thought there would be no residual hard feelings left over from the thumping his side suffered in 2014.
“Not at all, it is part of the past and not important anymore, we are only interested in the future,” the former Real Madrid winger told Spanish daily AS. “We are playing to reach the semifinals against a team of the size of Real Madrid and our objective is to progress. Nothing else interests us.”
Leicester City have shown a remarkable ability to defy the odds but face their sternest test yet in the Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid, the team they have replaced as European football’s most fashionable underdogs.
Before Leicester enchanted the sporting world last year with their miraculous Premier League title win, Atletico had worked similar wonders in 2014 by breaking the strangehold of Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga.
Now the two sides who have punched delightfully above their weight meet in the first leg in Madrid on Wednesday — but it is Leicester who remain the European novices while Atletico have grown into true continental heavyweights under Diego Simeone.
Unlike Leicester, who after their barely believable title win experienced an emphatic downturn in results which ultimately cost coach Claudio Ranieri his job in February, there was no difficult follow-up campaign for Atletico.
Charismatic coach Simeone has gone on to turn Madrid’s ‘other’ team into perennially formidable opponents in his five-year tenure, taking them to two Champions League finals in the last three years and four successive quarter-finals.
Atletico have also hit form just at the right time as they aim to land a first European Cup after losing in three finals (to Real in 2014 and 2016 and to Bayern Munich in 1974), winning five of their last seven games and conceding just two goals.
They held La Liga leaders Real to a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
“The Champions League is the best competition in the world and it always motivates you,” Atletico defender Filipe Luis told reporters on Monday.
“You can really feel the good atmosphere in the team at the moment and we’re feeling very confident after what we have done in our last few games. It’s going to be difficult, but we’re in our best form.”
Yet Leicester are on a similarly hot streak under Craig Shakespeare, who became the only manager alongside Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti to win his first five games in the Premier League after succeeding Ranieri.
The club’s long-time assistant coach also oversaw the team’s elimination of another La Liga side Sevilla in the last 16, the latest of Leicester’s incredible feats in the last 18 months.
Shakespeare’s perfect start ended with Sunday’s 4-2 defeat at Everton when he fielded a heavily-rotated team with one eye clearly on Wednesday’s game, in which they will be without injured captain Wes Morgan.