UCL Quarter Final: Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: First Leg Match Review

Real Madrid fought back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Bayern Munich 1-2 in the Allianz Arena to take a precious lead back to the Bernabéu next week. It was a significant victory for Los Blancos, who will now look to advance to the next stage in the competition. Tyler Mascarenhas gives you an in-depth review of the match.

Build Up to the Match

When the quarterfinal draws took place just over a month ago, one of the most promising fixtures that stood out for football fans across the world was Spanish giants Real Madrid taking on German behemoths Bayern Munich.

Both clubs have world class players that will cause a lot of talk for excitement, and correspondingly, both clubs feature a strong fanbase which includes its rich history and tradition.

Zinedine Zidane, the student to Carlo Ancelotti’s La Decima’s winning team in 2014, looked to upstage manager Ancelotti, who is finally playing his former club on the grandest stage of them all. These talking points make for the two-legged tie to be one of the most remembered among the 2017 Champions League campaign.

The injury bug hit both clubs this week, as Real Madrid were without center-backs Pepe and Raphael Varane, meaning  Nacho, a useful rotational player, would suit up to pair with Ramos at the back. On the other hand, Bayern Munich had to deal with issues to lethal striker Robert Lewandowski, and German center-back Mats Hummels.

Both clubs have suitable replacements for each player missing the match, so injury concerns should not take away from the magnitude that this fixture anticipated. With that said, let’s take a look to see how both clubs lined up for the first leg.

Starting XI’s

Aforementioned,  Nacho was the only ‘real’ change to Zinedine Zidane’s staple formation. Keylor Navas took his incumbent role as the shot-stopper, while Marcelo, Nacho, Ramos, and Carvajal were listed to make sure Bayern’s attack does not generate a lot of pressure. The Real Madrid midfield consisted of a Kroos, Casemiro, Modric trio, while the ‘BBC’ took their reigns for the attack.

On the other hand, Carlo Ancelotti had a selection headache as he had to replace both striker Robert Lewandowski and defender Mats Hummels, both of which are seen as regular starters for the Bavarian club. Neuer, the best goalkeeper on the planet, took his usual role as the Bayern keeper. In front of the German, featured the backline of Lahm, Boateng, Javi Martinez, and Alaba. The Munich midfield was entirely different from the same team that faced Real Madrid in the UCL in 2014, as Thiago, Vidal, and Alonso were slotted in. The attack fielded Ribery, Muller, and Robben. The full lineup can be seen below thanks to the Champions League’s Official Twitter page.