After a wild quarterfinal round in the Champions League, the semifinals are set. On April 25th, Bayern Munich will host the defending champions from Real Madrid in the first leg of their tie, and these two have had some fierce battles deep into the Champions League.
What To Know About Real Madrid
A controversial penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo was the difference as Real Madrid were beaten 3-1 at home by Juventus, but a 3-0 win in Italy secured Real Madrid’s passage to the semifinals. It wasn’t a vintage performance for Real Madrid, particularly at home, but they did what they had to and while they might have gotten lucky, sometimes you need a little luck in this competition. Ronaldo now has 15 goals to lead the Champions League and he has been fantastic recently as the goal against Juventus gave Ronaldo 11 straight games in finding the back of the net (he has scored 21 goals during that time). Ronaldo’s ability to pop up and score has helped paper over a lot of cracks for Real Madrid as they have struggled at the back at times, particularly Marcelo at fullback. The Juventus game wasn’t the best work from Casemiro in midfield, and Karim Benzema continues to underwhelm. Still, Real Madrid has Ronaldo and that always gives them a chance.
What To Know About Bayern Munich
Bayern were held to a 0-0 draw at home against Sevilla in their last Champions League game, but a 2-1 win in Spain was enough to send them to the next round. It wasn’t Bayern Munich’s best game as Sevilla once again impressed with their willingness to come at their opponents on the road, as they did at Manchester United in the previous round. However, Bayern Munich held their nerve and will progress. Still, they need to be better against Real Madrid as Robert Lewandowski failed to add to his five Champions League goals against Sevilla. Also, midfielder Arturo Vidal will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery. That should mean more time for James Rodriguez, who is actually on loan to Bayern Munich from Real Madrid, where he spent three years.
Outlook
Bayern Munich are favored at home at 2.05, while Real Madrid comes in at 3.40 and a draw is rated at 3.50. Real Madrid have won their last five meetings with Bayern Munich, beating them 6-3 over two legs in last season’s quarterfinals and 5-0 over two legs in the 2014 semifinals. However, Bayern Munich won on penalties in the 2012 semifinals, so these two clubs have history in the Champions League and they have won it 17 times between them (Real Madrid with 12, Bayern Munich with five). Both teams should be able to run out their best players as Bayern Munich has clinched the Bundesliga, while Real Madrid takes on a poor Athletic Bilbao this weekend in La Liga. These teams are evenly matched all over the pitch, and it could be a matter of a couple plays that decides this game in Munich.
Champions League Betting Pick: Bayern
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