Real Madrid’s home form a worry ahead of Bayern clash
By Alex McVey
Real Madrid took home two crucial away goals from their victory against Bayern in Munich, but Los Blancos’ form at home may be a reason to worry.
Coming away from the Allianz Arena with two away goals and a Champions League semifinal first leg victory is no small feat. But nevertheless, Real Madrid’s job is far from done. Given how Real Madrid have performed thus far this season at the Santiago Bernabéu, Bayern may have reason to hope that they can overturn the deficit when they travel to Madrid for the second leg.
The most recent example of Madrid’s poor form at home is the 3-1 loss to Juventus in the second leg of the quarter-finals. Real Madrid dominated Juventus in Turin, scoring three unanswered goals. But in the Bernabéu, Juventus pinned Madrid back and made Zidane’s men look timid and ineffectual. It took a last minute Ronaldo penalty to bail Madrid out of an abysmal performance in front of their home crowd.
The match against Juventus was far from the first poor outing in Madrid this season. While the club’s official webpage was busy touting the Bernabéu as the “Fortress of Europe” due to Madrid’s home form in the Champions League, Madrid were busy tarrying that reputation in the league.Real Madrid were also defeated at home to Leganes in the Copa del Rey, dumping them unceremoniously out of the tournament. As Marca note, Madrid’s awful performances at the Bernabéu have lead this to being statistically one of the worst seasons for home performances in the history of the club.
By my count (using WhoScored’s fixture list) Real Madrid have drawn at home to Valencia, Levante, Tottenham, Fuenlabrada (yep, that’s right, a team from Segunda Division B), Numancia (a team in Segunda division), Atletico Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao. They have lost at home to Real Betis, Barcelona, Villarreal, Leganes, and Juventus. The vast majority of the matches that Real Madrid have failed to win this season have come at the Bernabéu.
Next: 3 Takeaways from Bayern vs Madrid first leg
Bayern Munich will be looking to exploit Madrid’s vulnerabilities at home. The Bernabéu can be a magical place, and an intimidating cauldron of football for traveling teams. But if things start to go sour, the fans can turn on the players in an instant, creating a hostile atmosphere for Los Blancos as they try to dig their way out of a deficit.