On Tuesday, the first participant of the 2017-18 Champions League final will finally be revealed. At the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium, Madrid's "Real" and Munich's "Bayern" will once again clash in the semifinals. The Bavarians are arriving in Madrid with a negative result, but Jupp Heynckes' proteges still have all the chances after a five-year hiatus to reach the final. The winner of this tie will face their opponent in the final tomorrow - "Liverpool" seeks to finish the job against "Roma" Match in Munich The first leg promised great intrigue, as two worthy opponents clashed. And so it happened - the football wasn't the prettiest, but both teams showed great fight. The match at the "Allianz" stadium started with success for Munich's "Bayern" team. In the 28th minute, the hosts took the lead when Joshua Kimmich scored a quick attack goal. However, the visitors from Madrid found a way to respond to their opponents - in the 44th minute, Marcelo equalized with a great strike, and in the second half, Marco Asensio took advantage of Rafinha's mistake to lead the visitors to victory. Bavarians were left with great disappointment after the match, as they dominated both possession and created chances. Franck Ribery could have sealed the team's victory with a 1-0 score, but he was too lenient with the goalkeeper in front. Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane focused more on defense in this match, which helped them defend well against the opponent's attacks. The tournament's top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, was completely "shut down" by Munich, not because of a bad day for the Portuguese, but because the Real team had to do a lot of defensive work. Using the formula "if you don't score, he will", the Real players returned to Madrid with a very good result and are one step away from reaching the final for the third consecutive year. The Bayern team cannot settle for just a minimal victory here - they need at least a one-goal victory by a scoreline greater than 2-1 or extra time. Performance on the weekend Both teams' managers did not surprise with their decisions in the league matches over the weekend - they gave almost all their leaders a chance to rest before tonight's match. The Real team didn't have to travel far - the "Whites" clashed with "Leganes" at home. Gareth Bale and Borja Mayoral allowed the hosts to lead 2-0 for a long time, but the visitors managed to score one goal, which kept the nerves tingling for the royal club until the end of the match. Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric, and other key players were given the opportunity to rest. Bayern Munich, who have long secured the national champion title, fought against Frankfurt Eintracht on Saturday. J. Heynckes gave a chance for young players to show up in this match and they successfully took advantage of the opportunity. After the defeat, Bayern delighted their fans with a 4-1 victory. In the match featuring players from the Champions League, Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, and Sven Ulreich, who replaced Manuel Neuer, played. The current results of both teams' preparations for the weekend definitely do not tell the whole story. Bayern arrives in Madrid with nothing to lose, so it is expected that the hosts will have to fight hard again on their own turf. Team news Recently, almost all Real players were able to participate in matches, but in the first games, they could not avoid injuries - Isco was replaced due to shoulder problems after the first half, and Dani Carvajal also left the field in the second half. Both players will miss the return leg, even though Isco trained with the team. Zidane's main dilemma is the right-back position, where there is no equivalent substitute for D. Carvajal. In Munich's match, the right-back position was taken by winger Lucas Vazquez, who is still a candidate to play there. However, in the last two days, the versatile defender Nacho trained fully with the team. Questions arise only about the Spaniard's fitness, but Zidane hinted at the press conference that if the defender is ready, there will be a good chance for him to start in defense. It is not expected to see Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale in the starting lineup for Real. Marco Asensio, who scored in Munich, will take Isco's place in midfield. Bayern's problems ahead of the match are even bigger - after the first leg, Arjen Robben and Jerome Boateng have dropped out of the lineup. They joined previously injured Arturo Vidal, Kingsley Coman, and Manuel Neuer. Bayern can only be happy that defender David Alaba flew to Madrid. There should not be any major surprises in the starting lineup - Thiago will replace A. Robben, and Niklas Sule will substitute for J. Boateng in defense. Projected starting lineups: Real: (4-3-3) Keylor Navas; Nacho, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos; Lucas Vázquez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Marco Asensio. Bayern: (4-3-3) Sven Ulreich; Joshua Kimmich, Niklas Sule, Mats Hummels, David Alaba; James Rodriguez, Javi Martinez, Thiago; Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Ribery. Interesting Facts Real could become the first team in modern Champions League history to reach the final three times in a row. The all-time record belongs to them when Alfredo Di Stefano's era "Whites" won the continental tournament five times in a row. Bayern arrives in Madrid with the same deficit they had in last season's quarterfinals. In the first leg, the Bavarians lost 1-2 at home, and the return leg in Madrid also ended with a 4-2 home win. Cristiano Ronaldo ended his own absolute record in the Champions League in Munich - he had scored in every match this season until this game. The defeat to Real was Bayern's only loss so far this season, playing at home. The last time Bayern defeated the hosts at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium was in 2001. The teams also met in the Champions League semifinals, with the Bavarians triumphing 1-0. In their last ten matches, Real have shown dominance over Bayern - the Spanish representatives have defeated their opponents in official matches eight times, while the Bavarians have only celebrated twice.
