Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: 3 things to watch for in the second-leg
By Sachin Bhat
How will both teams cope with injury-enforced absentees
The travails of a long and arduous season has really gotten to both the teams. In the first-leg defeat, Bayern lost Arjen Robben and Jerome Boateng, two first-team members, inside the opening 45 minutes. Javi Martinez bruised his head later in the game, and will make it to the bench if fit. Arturo Vidal has long been ruled out for the season.
In the opposite camp, Dani Carvajal and Isco too succumbed to injuries in what was a pyrrhic victory. But while the latter has returned to training, Carvajal remains out.
The spate of casualties has given a sombre pre-match build-up to the tie. But it begs a bigger and more pertinent question, how will the teams cope? A handful of changes in the line-up are definitely on the cards. Jupp Hynckes and Zinedine Zidane are in a pickle to rework their strategies and bring up a new one.
For Bayern, Cristian Tolisso is likely to be slotted in the starting XI in what appears to be a 4-2-3-1 formation with Muller shunted on the right-wing and James Rodriguez deployed behind him. A revert to the much-preferred 4-3-3 is also likely with Kingsley Coman dropping in on the left and Martinez starting from the bench.
As for the hosts, they can only hope Nacho to be in a fine fettle ahead of the kick-off; for he’s the only reliable option on the right-back. Achraf Hakimi is in contention too, but this is too big a game for a player like him. Isco in all likelihood won’t feature in the starting XI. That means Zidane might revert to 4-4-2 with the only other change being upfront, where Ronaldo will be aided by a partner.
Hopefully, that’s Benzema.