Bayern Munich face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday in an all-important second leg match of their Champions League semi-final tie.
It’s do or die for Bayern Munich in the Champions League when they travel to face Real Madrid on Tuesday. A few of our writers got together again to discuss their predictions for this massive second leg match.
Predicted XIs
Benjamin Scott
"Ulreich Kimmich – Sule – Hummels – Alaba Tolisso – Martinez – James Muller – Lewandowski – Ribery"
This is the starting XI I’d sent out to face Real Madrid if I was Jupp Heynckes. There’s a few changes made from the lineup we saw last week. Most of them are due to injury, but one in particular is not.
David Alaba and Niklas Sule replace Rafinha and Jerome Boateng in the backline. The Austrian full-back just returned from injury and will make a huge difference on the left flank, as his relationship with Franck Ribery is a big component of his play. With Thomas Muller forced to the right flank in Arjen Robben’s absence, I’ve gone for Corentin Tolisso as my third midfielder instead of Thiago. Jupp Heynckes should give the Frenchman an opportunity to be the difference maker against Madrid.
I flirted with the idea of starting Sandro Wagner over Robert Lewandowski, but I don’t really see that happening. I do think, however, that Wagner should be brought in early if his Polish teammate once again proves ineffective in attack.
Garett Kerber
"Ulreich Kimmich – Sule – Hummels – Alaba Martinez Tolisso – Muller – James – Ribery Lewandowski"
I’m keeping the 4-1-4-1 formation, because it has been serving Bayern well. Reactions to the 1st leg have been all over the map. For me, I came away frustrated by missed chances, some major flubs, and overall conflicted between being the better team on the night in nearly every category except for the most important. So I want things to be left alone for the most part. The only changes I’m making from the one that started the first match are due to injury or return from injury.
All the reports I’ve seen expect Alaba and Martinez to be fit for Tuesday, so they slot into their normal spot. I’m keeping Lewy up top despite some of the Twitter calls for Wagner. Lewandowski is world class, one of the best strikers in the world. You have to put him out there and expect him to shake off whatever issues he’s been having in big matches.
Corentin Tolisso needs to play wide for me because I think he stretches the defense more than Muller would in that spot. Finally, I hope Jupp is able to take Ribery off for Thiago sometime before the 70-minute mark. Ribery had a brief stretch of looking very good, but looked very tired and old when Bayern was fighting for the equalizer. Oh, and Sule will make a name for himself in this match, methinks.
Kiran Thakare
"Ulreich Kimmich – Sule – Hummels – Alaba Martinez James – Muller – Thiago – Ribery Lewandowski"
Jupp Heynckes got it right regarding his team selection in the first leg of this tie. The German is likely to go with a similar formation for the second leg too. Manuel Neuer is not fit enough to start this game so Sven Ulreich will continue in goal. Niklas Sule will slot in for the injured Jerome Boateng in the heart of defense, partnering Mats Hummels. The return of David Alaba is a big boost for the team, too, and the Austrian will straightaway go into the starting lineup.
In the center of the park, Javi Martinez will be deployed in the holding midfield position. The Spaniard will have to astutely shield the back four as the other two midfielders are not exactly good defensively. Thomas Muller and Thiago Alcantara will play higher up in the midfield to supoort the other attacking players.
Bayern Munich suffered a significant blow on Monday when Arjen Robben failed to travel with the squad due to injury. James Rodriguez should be preferred on the right flank due to his efficient deliveries. Franck Ribery will play on the other side of the attack and Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the Bavarians.