Champions League: Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich discussion

Yohan Modric wrote:Depends though. In some games Lahm and Alaba come inside and Robben/Ribery stay out wide, other games the fullbacks overlap.

Either way I think to be fully solid defensively, we should always have 2 banks of 4 when defending.

halamadrid2 wrote:Carlo has hinted that Ronaldo won't start on Wednesday to not risk him for the more important game next week

So we will probably see the exact same line up as the Copa final

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale have trained on Tuesday morning, with both thought to be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final.

The Portugal international has been out for the last three weeks with a knee complaint and a slight muscle injury.

But the Ballon d’Or winner has completed a second successive session, and is expected to start against Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu later this week.

Bale meanwhile, also took a full part in Tuesday’s training after he sat out Monday with a bout of flu.

The Wales international is also expected to be a part of the European Cup clash against the Bavarian outfit.

Zealous wrote:

halamadrid2 wrote:Carlo has hinted that Ronaldo won't start on Wednesday to not risk him for the more important game next week

So we will probably see the exact same line up as the Copa final

If I had to choose one game where I wanted Cristiano I'd choose the away game because that's the game where we need to score as many goals as possible.

Having said that CR's best performances for Madrid have been at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid trio, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso and Asier Illarramendi will need to be on their best behaviour in the 1st leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich as the three Spaniards are just one yellow card from being banned for the return leg in Munich on the 29th of April.

Ramos and Alonso have been vital to the success of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad and would force the Italian to alter his squad, which may upset the dynamics.

This is especially true in Alonso’s case, where his back-up, Asier Illarramendi is also one yellow away from being banned leaving only young, inexperienced Brazilian Casemiro to fill the role, whereas Ramos could be replaced with fully fit Raphael Varane.

However, Bayern Munich striker, Mario Madzukic is also one yellow from being banned for the return leg, which would have a far more devastating effect to Pep Guardiola’s side than the loss of Ramos or Alonso, considering the Croatian international is the German Bundesliga’s top scorer with 18 goals this season.

Carlo Ancelotti appeared, together with Xabi Alonso, in the Ciudad Real Madrid press room the day before the match against Bayern. The Whites' manager had the following to say about the semi-final clash: “Xabi Alonso knows these fans better than I do. The atmosphere we had in Valencia was very good and unforgettable. It was key and it will certainly be so against Bayern too".

“Our game and quality have improved with time. We are in an important semi-final and we are more driven than anyone to win this competition, that is an advantage and a great motivation for us, not an obsession”.

“We are not going to try and stop the opposition from playing, we will try and use our quality to win. Balance, as always is fundamental, and we have to be compact everywhere on the pitch”.

Bayern: a historic rival
“We are only thinking about the match. They may be a nemesis for Madrid, but not for me. I am confident in my team and in my players. We are not only thinking about Ribery, we're thinking about the team as a whole. Despite everything, we are focusing on our own team. This is the most important thing for coping with the pressure”.

“I'M SURE WE'LL SEE A STRONG REAL MADRID AND IT WILL BE A GOOD TEAM”.
“We're playing against a very strong team. It does not matter if people think we're not the favourites. We'll do the best possible and the best side will win. My goal is to play in the final. We have to fight hard against a tough team, but reaching four semi-finals in a row is not bad”.

How he motivates his squad
“For certain matches it is best not to say anything because you can see that the team is focused and knows what it has to do. Before the match against Barcelona in the final of the Copa I could see the team was very driven and I said nothing to them. Tomorrow I don't expect to have to say anything either and hopefully it will end just as well. They are all motivated, but this is a tie that will not be decided tomorrow. The decider is on Tuesday”.

Cristiano Ronaldo's participation
“He had an injury, he's had treatment and seen the club's doctors. He's been training for three days and with the whole team since yesterday. Today he felt good and tomorrow we'll give him a test. If he is well he'll play, but if there is a risk of regression he won't”.

Bale and his winner in the cup
“He's fine, feeling confident after the goal. At first he may have had a problem, but he's comfortable and fine with everyone. He is having a good season and I think he will be even better next season. He is lucky that he is not playing in the World Cup and we are delighted with him this season”.

Benzema and his impact on the game
“I have never asked a striker to score. Karim is playing very well for the team and he really helps going forward. He has to carry on that way because we are all happy with his work”.

Isco's work
“Taking someone out to leave space for Cristiano Ronaldo is not easy because everyone is doing a good job. Isco demonstrated that he can make a difference in defence and attack to help the team. We have to think that Cristiano's presence gives us more options in the match. Casemiro has barely played, but when he came on against Dortmund he made a big difference”.

The recovery of Marcelo and Khedira
“Marcelo is not 100%, but he'll be on the bench. Coentrão will start. Khedira has started training with the team and he feels great. His recovery is going well and he has worked very hard. I'm sure he'll play before the end of the season”.

Carlo Ancelotti had no complaints after Real Madrid’s 1-0 Champions League first-leg win over Bayern Munich.

Karim Benzema’s first-half goal gave Madrid victory while a resolute defensive performance ensured a clean sheet with the second-leg to come in Munich next week.

“I’m happy with everything, with the result and the performance of the players because the game was difficult,” AS reports Ancelotti as saying after the match.

“We were timid at first and while we had difficulties in the second-half we had more control of the game. We defended but we have done very good things.

“It was essential to work together. Fabio Coentrao had the help of Isco and Dani Carvajal had Angel Di Maria. You need this in a semi-final.

“We were more comfortable defending in 4-4-2 against teams that have a lot more of the ball.

“Our defending was good and we did well with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale at 50%.

“It’s not easy to be as good as Cristiano was. He wanted to play and he played well.

“The game there will be very difficult and we have to play with the desire and confidence of today. I don’t know what will happen but I’m confident.”