The Champions League fixture of 2014, a match that many saw fit for the finals, will be played over two legs as Bayern Munich come head to head with Real Madrid in what might be a replay of the 2012 semi-finals.
As the German Champions come up against the Spanish giants, both the clubs will be looking to make history in their bid to win this yearai??i??s Champions League trophy at Lisbon. While Bayern Munich will be the first club to successfully retain the European crown, Real are looking to win the La Decima and enter the sacred league of having won the ai???Trophy with big earsai??i?? for a record 10th time.
However the two teams will face a trial by fire with the first leg of the fixture scheduled at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. Here are three factors that will determine this crucial Champions League tie.
The Battle of the Midfield-Pep Guardiola vs Carlo Ancelotti
Perhaps the biggest battle will be in the two similar yet contrasting styles of football preferred by the two tacticians in charge of the respective clubs. The fact that both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid prefer to keep possession and look to develop the game gradually will be interesting as the two clubs come head-to-head on Wednesday.
Though Real Madrid have carefully developed their style under Ancelotti, one that focuses on keeping possession, they have shown themselves to be vulnerable in moments of high-pressure. Xabi Alonso, Modric, Sergio Ramos and Pepe are accustomed to spending more time on the ball however they have shown themselves to be susceptible to making silly errors and losing their cool in the heat of the battle, something that will be carefully exploited by Guardiola in this fixture. Real came undone in the second leg against Borussia Dortmund as they faced Dortmundai??i??s organized and relentless pressing and it remains to be seen how they cope with Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Similarly Bayern Munichai??i??s possession style of football, one that believes in attacking with quite a few players in the midfield, might come undone as Real Madrid will be looking to attack the Germans from their wings. Realai??i??s genuine attacking threat lies on their wings and it will be interesting to see how Guardiola organises his team to face the likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.
ai???Wings on Fireai??i??
The biggest factor that will end up deciding the fixture is the set of wingers who decide to show up at Santiago Bernabeu. While Ribery and Alaba face Gareth Bale and Carvajal on the left flank, Robben and Rafinha/Lahm will come up against Ronaldo and Marcelo/Coentrao in what could prove to be a mouth-watering encounter. Europeai??i??s best wingers will be fighting each other on the pitch and the ones who manage to beat his rival might go a long way in deciding the fixture. Real Madrid have shown time and again that they are capable to tearing teams apart with their blistering pace and energy on the wings. While the likes of Robben and Ribery led Bayern Munich to a historic treble last season and might repeat their feats this season.
Current Fortunes
Having started the season on different trajectories, Real Madrid and Bayern Munichai??i??s current form will go a long way in deciding the fate of the match on Wednesday. Though the Germans started the season strongly and won the German Bundesliga quite early on in the season, Real Madrid started slowly and were trailing both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid till the start of the new year. However Bayern Munich now find themselves having lost two successive domestic features as Real Madrid go from strength to strength having won the Copa del Rey in their last outing. Hence this will be a crucial factor and the clubai??i??s state of mind could prove to be crucial for the match. Guardiola himself admitted that the Real Madrid game has found Bayern Munich at a vulnerable junction while Real Madrid won a thrilling Copa del Rey final in their last fixture.
So which way will this even matched tie swing? Will Bayern Munich get the better of Real Madrid or will the Whites inch themselves closer to the La Decima? Only time will tell.
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