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On Wednesday, another semi-final match of the UEFA Champions League will be played. The clubs of Madrid "Real" and Munich "Bayern" will clash in the Spanish capital.
The first leg of the semi-final moves to the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium, where the advantage will be on the side of the "Primera" vice-champions, however, the last match for "Real" against "Bayern" at this stadium ended bitterly.
Lately, the team coached by Carlo Ancelotti has been in good form, and the results speak for themselves. Last week, the royal club managed to win their first trophy of the season, which gave them even more hope before the crucial Champions League match.
Leading up to the semi-final, "Real" did not struggle much. In the round of 16, they defeated Schalke from Gelsenkirchen with a combined score of 9-2, and in the quarter-finals, they faced another German team - Borussia Dortmund. The first match ended with a crushing victory for the "Whites" with a score of 3-0, but in the return leg, the "yellow-blacks" almost created a miracle and were short of one goal until extra time.
In the last match in Spain, things went not only victoriously for "Real", but they also won a title. In the final of the "Copa del Rey" tournament, the Madrid eleven defeated "Barcelona" with a score of 2-1, and the winners did it without their team leader Cristiano Ronaldo.
In the hosts' ranks - there are joyful news. Injuries have healed and Marcelo and C.Ronaldo have started training fully with their team mates. C.Ancelotti will still have to cope without Sami Khedira, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Jese Rodriguez in this match.
Predicted starting lineup:
Iker Casillas
Daniel Carvajal - Pepe - Sergio Ramos - Fabio Coentrao
Luka Modric - Xabi Alonso - Angel Di Maria
Gareth Bale - Karim Benzema - Cristiano Ronaldo
"Santiago Bernabeu" stadium brings good memories for "Bayern". In 2012, the second leg of the semi-final took place in Madrid, and after a penalty shootout, the Bavarians reached the final. Since the beginning of the tournament, the Munich team has been considered the main contender to defend the champions' title, but they face a serious challenge against the Spanish giant.
To reach the semi-final, "Bayern" had to face the resistance of English giants. In the round of 16, Josep Guardiola's pupils eliminated London's "Arsenal" with a combined score of 3-1, and in the quarter-finals, they faced "Manchester United". The first match ended unexpectedly in a draw 1-1, but at the "Allianz" stadium, the German champions showed their superiority and defeated the "Red Devils" with a score of 3-1.
Recently, in the German "Bundesliga" championship, things have not been going well for the Bavarian team, as they suffered two defeats and once played a draw against "Hoffenheim". Over the weekend, J.Guardiola's pupils finally managed to end the streak of failures, and they defeated "Braunschweig" with a score of 0-2. Among the scorers for the winners were Claudio Pizarro and Mario Mandzukic.
Before the match with "Real", the "Bayern" team received good news - goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will be able to play in the starting lineup after recovering from an injury, but we will definitely not see Thiago, Xherdan Shaqiri, Holger Badstuber, and Tom Starke on the field.
Predicted starting lineup:
Manuel Neuer
Philipp Lahm - Dante - Jerome Boateng - David Alaba
Bastian Schweinsteiger - Javi Martinez
Arjen Robben - Mario Gotze - Franck Ribery
Mario Mandzukic
