Prediction: Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

16th April 2012

With the prospect of playing the Champions League final at their Alianz Arena, Bayern Munich should have more than enough motives to do well against Real Madrid, especially as the Bavarians once again failed to win the Bundesliga title. Los Blancos, on the other hand, are eager to meet arch rivals Barcelona in the Champions League final, but they first need to eliminate very good Bayern side.

Every time Bayern miss out on the Bundesliga title, the club chiefs invest considerable funds in new players to make sure that doesn’t happen again, and nobody was surprised to see Bavarians make several big name signings last summer. Nonetheless, even if it looked that Bayern would have no problems beating Borussia to the league title, Jupp Heynckes’ side just couldn’t keep up with their arch rivals and are now huge eight points behind BVB in the Bundesliga standings. On the other hand, the Bavarians have done well to reach the Champions League semi-finals, showing they are still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Europe’s top competition and with the final game set to be played in Munich, the German side will give their best to eliminate Real and earn a chance to save this season by winning the coveted trophy. That doesn’t mean that Bayern will go all out attack in the first leg as they are well aware of Real’s attacking potential, and even Jupp Heynckes himself has stated that his side’s first task will be not to conceded in Munich. The experienced coach will have Gomez, Kroos, Ribery, Lahm and Gustavo back after they were rested at the weekend, but Breno and Van Buyten continue to miss out.

Real Madrid may go into this tie as favourites to go through, but there are no doubts Jose Mourinho’s side will have to work hard for their place in the final. Los Blancos are under pressure after several La Liga slip ups allowed Barcelona to close the gap to just four points and with the two sides set to meet at Camp Nou next Saturday, Jose Mourinho’s men would rather than travel to Barcelona on the back of a good result in Munich. While Real have won 9 of 10 games in this year’s Champions League, Bayern Munich have six straight wins in Europe at their Alianz Arena, which suggests this battle of European giants will be too close to call. Real Madrid have been playing very tight games on their European travels this season and one shouldn’t expect to see goals galore in Munich. Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria, Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Fabio Coentrao should return after missing the Sporting Gijon game, whereas Jose Mourinho has no fresh injury worries.

Conclusion

With both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid risking staying without major trophies this season, the stakes will be high at Alianz Arena and this should result in a cautious approach from both managers. Everything suggests that the tie will be decided in the second leg, and under 2.5 goals looks a good bet here.

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 21/20

Bookmaker: BetVictor