BAYERN BID TO SABOTAGE RONALDO THE MACHINE
IT’S the German machine against the goal machine tonight at the Allianz Arena as Bayern Munich face the tournament top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo. ‘He has had a unique career,’ said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes on the eve of Real Madrid’s semi-final first leg. ‘Of course we have analysed him, but the Champions League tends to be won by the most complete team who play the best football. And we should not forget that we have Robert Lewandowski, who has scored 39 goals this season.’ What 72-year-old Heynckes was suggesting was that Bayern are more of a team, whereas Real Madrid rely largely on Ronaldo (right). His incredible record against German sides certainly plays to that narrative. Ronaldo has
scored 26 goals in 22 matches against them, and nine of those goals have come in six games against Bayern. German paper TZ summed up the mood in Munich this week when it looked at decisive duels for tonight’s game under the headline: ‘Martinez v Isco, Lewandowski v Ramos and Ronaldo v everyone.’ Bayern defender Jerome Boateng will have the onerous task of stopping him. He told Kicker magazine this week: ‘No striker could be more complete than Ronaldo. He is a machine.’ He added yesterday: ‘I think Cristiano is a wonderful athlete — you can see that with the goals he scores and when he takes his shirt off. I don’t think he has any weaknesses.’ But, as Heynckes pointed out, Bayern have their own prolific front man who will go into tonight’s game knowing a good performance could move him closer to a switch to Spain next season. Since resigning themselves to the fact that Harry Kane is probably not an option, Lewandowski has become a Real target to replace Karim Benzema.
‘Who will stop Robert?’ asked Heynckes defiantly as he fielded more questions about Ronaldo. Madrid know all about Lewandowski. It was five years ago yesterday that he scored four goals against them in a 4-1 semi-final first-leg win for Borussia Dortmund. Madrid, coached at the time by Jose Mourinho, could only win the second leg 2-0 and went out. ‘Madrid are the favourites but just because they are favourites does not mean they will go through,’ said the Polish forward. Heynckes can complete a remarkable treble tonight. He won the trophy with Bayern in 2013 and also in 1998 — coaching Real Madrid, and against a Juventus team that included Real boss Zinedine Zidane.