Bayern look to thrive ‘on knife’s edge’ at Bernabeu

Six-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich head into Wednesday's second semi-final at Real Madrid, looking to change the narrative surrounding their disappointing season.

Bayern drew 2-2 at home against Real in the first leg and need a win to progress to Wembley, the site of their famous victory over rivals Borussia Dortmund in 2013.

The Champions League remains their only chance of a trophy this season, having suffered elimination in the German Cup at the hands of third-division Saarbruecken last year before Bayer Leverkusen ended the Bavarians' 11-year Bundesliga title streak in April.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, is searching for the formula to take his team's performance up several notches to get past the Bavarians.

Madrid come into the match on the back of sealing the La Liga title after a 3-0 win over Cadiz on Saturday, but with the Champions League second leg in the forefront of their minds, celebrations were put on ice.

The record 14-time Champions League winners, instead, had their sights firmly set on achieving a fifth La Liga and Champions League double.

To reach the final at Wembley, Ancelotti must find a way to restrain Bayern's wingers Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala, who caused Madrid a constant headache in the first leg.

"It was important when we began to defend with collective commitment," Ancelotti reminded his players when speaking about the side's improvement this season.

If Ancelotti's planning fails, Madrid always have the "magic" of the Santiago Bernabeu to fall back on.

Their remarkable string of home comebacks to reach the 2022 Champions League final is fresh in the memory, with players quick to highlight the stadium's legend and mystique.

"It's time to have a magical night at the Bernabeu," said Vinicius Junior after the Bayern draw, of the kind 'Madridistas' have enjoyed so many times before.

On the other camp, Thomas Mueller, a two-time Champions League winner who has lifted almost every team honour available, said on the club's website on Monday that efficiency would be key in Madrid.

"It's a game on equal terms, on a knife's edge. Football is about being effective. It's a question of millimetres, whether we are effective in the moments where we have opportunities.

"Now it's about getting over the finish line in Madrid. (Real are) extremely dangerous but very playable. Whether they are beatable is for us to determine."

Highlights

*Bayern Munich are winless in their last eight Champions League meetings against Real Madrid (6L 2D) who have won six of their past seven encounters against the Bavarians at home, with the other fixture ending in a draw.

*Carlo Ancelotti is plotting to reach a record-extending sixth Champions League final, while his counterpart, Thomas Tuchel, could become the first manager in the competition's history to reach the final with three different clubs.

*No other player has more goal involvements in the Champions League than Vinicius Jr - 31 (16 goals and 15 assists) – since the start of Real's triumphant 2021-22 campaign.

*Ancelotti has never lost against Bayern in the Champions League, with six wins and three draws in nine meetings. The streak is the longest for any coach who has remained unbeaten against an opposition in Champions League history.

*Harry Kane's 11 goal involvements –eight goals and three assists – is the most by an English player in a single campaign in Europe (European Cup/Champions League). With 29 goals in the Champions League so far, Kane needs two more to surpass Wayne Rooney to become the all-time leading English goal-scorer in Europe.