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On Tuesday, the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals will be played. Tonight, the first finalist of the tournament will be determined.
In the stronghold of "Allianz," the players of Munich's "Bayern" will try to redeem themselves against Madrid's "Real" club, which gained an advantage in the first match.
This season, the players of Munich's "Bayern," who early on defended the title of German champions, will seek to reach the final, where they have already played twice in a row.
In the first leg of the semi-final match at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium, the Bavarian team dominated possession almost throughout the match, but their ball control did not lead to a good result. The "Real" team had more opportunities to score, and the decisive goal was scored by Karim Benzema in just the 19th minute.
This time, the Munich "Bayern" players failed to triumph in Madrid. In their last matches, Josep Guardiola's protégés clashed with Bremen's "Werder." In another victory in the German "Bundesliga" championship by a score of 5-2, Munich's eleven celebrated. Goals were scored by Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Claudio Pizarro twice.
We won't see Holger Badstuber, Xherdan Shaqiri, and backup goalkeeper Tom Starke in the Bayern squad. It is still not clear about defender Rafinha, who did not appear in the last weekend's German championship match, but the team will be able to count on midfielder Thiago Alcantara.
Projected starting lineup:
Manuel Neuer
Philipp Lahm - Dante - Jerome Boateng - David Alaba
Bastian Schweinsteiger - Toni Kroos
Arjen Robben - Mario Gotze - Franck Ribery
Mario Mandzukic
Madrid's "Real"
Carlo Ancelotti's team surprised not only the "Bayern" club but also many football fans. Only the team's fans believed in the royal club's victory, and many predicted that a draw would be a perfect result for the Madrid team.
However, Fabio Coentrao, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema forced Manuel Neuer to pull the ball out of his own goal. The "white team" traveled to Munich with a one-goal advantage, which could be crucial in the battle for a place in the final.
Weekend "Real" players had fun in the "Primera" championship. Playing at home, the runners-up of Spain crushed Pamplona's "Osasuna" with a score of 4-0, and in the match, Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed himself, scoring two long-range goals. Defenders Sergio Ramos and Daniel Carvajal also added goals after the initial strike.
As usual, guests from Madrid will not be able to count on Alvaro Arbeloa, Sami Khedira, and Jese Rodriguez. There were doubts about Gareth Bale's and Karim Benzema's appearances in the "Allianz" stronghold, but C. Ancelotti confirmed that both players will be able to help the team.
Projected starting lineup:
Iker Casillas
Daniel Carvajal - Pepe - Sergio Ramos - Fabio Ceontrao
Luka Modric - Xabi Alonso - Isco
Gareth Bale - Karim Benzema - Cristiano Ronaldo
