Champions League: Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid semifinals leg 1 betting preview

And then there were four. The Champions League is down to the semifinals and in one of them, we have a massive clash between two of the biggest clubs in the world. Bayern Munich and 14-time winners Real Madrid will lock horns on Tuesday in the first of two legs, with this one taking place at the Allianz Arena. Bayern finds themselves at this stage after taking care of Arsenal in the quarterfinals, with Harry Kane getting revenge on his former North London rivals. As for Real, they knocked off the holders, beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in penalties in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Bayern Munich

It wasn’t a great season for Bayern domestically, finally losing the title as Bayer Leverkusen ran away with the Bundesliga crown under Xabi Alonso. The Bavarians still have some games to go, but they currently have a 22-3-6 record, comfortably sitting in second place. Thomas Tuchel’s men grabbed a win over the weekend, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 behind a brace from Harry Kane. In the process, the Englishman hit 35 goals for the campaign in league action.

The Champions League presents Bayern with the opportunity to win some prestigious hardware. They haven’t been back in the showpiece since 2019-20 when the club lifted the grand prize, defeating PSG 1-0 in the final behind closed doors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Along the way on their current European journey, the Bavarians took down Lazio as well while finishing unbeaten in Group A. They’ve yet to lose a single game in this year’s tournament.

Kane has been fantastic in the UCL as well, trailing only Kylian Mbappe with seven goals of his own while also tallying three assists. Despite only scoring 1.8 goals per game in the competition, Bayern has managed to be a strong side, but Madrid is undoubtedly their toughest test yet. The last time they met was in the 2017-18 semifinals, with the Spaniards advancing 4-3 on aggregate. Bayern is slightly favored at BetVictor.

Real Madrid

There may be no Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema anymore, but Real is still a force to be reckoned with. Carlo Ancelotti’s group is very much in the mix for a 15th title in the UCL, needing just three more wins, or perhaps even just two, to do so. Los Blancos were a perfect 6-0-0 in the group stages, finishing above Napoli, Sporting Braga, and Union Berlin. The Round of 16 wasn’t the most convincing, but they did manage to get past RB Leipzig. And while they beat Man City in PKs, you cannot take anything away from Madrid.

The first leg was a goal-filled thriller, finishing 3-3 at the Bernabeu before a more cagey affair in the return fixture, ending 1-1 before extra time and spot kicks. After that, Real proceeded to come from behind and grab three points against Barcelona in El Clasico just days later. Ancelotti’s men then beat Real Sociedad last Friday. The LaLiga title is in the bag, so Madrid will be extremely focused on conquering Europe again.

Rodrygo has been the main man in the UCL, bagging five goals and contributing two assists. Jude Bellingham also has four goals while setting up another four. Vinicius Junior, who is always a threat, has netted three times and tallied four assists. There’s a plethora of different players who can get it done in the final third and at the back, Antonio Rudiger anchors a strong defense that will be looking to contain Kane in the semifinals. Madrid has slightly steeper odds in the first leg at soccer betting sites, but it’s relatively even overall.

Injury news

Bayern has numerous injury concerns right now, including Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Dayot Upamecano, and Kingsley Coman. Alphonso Davies returns after a one-match suspension that prevented him from playing in the second leg against Arsenal. Madrid meanwhile is essentially at full strength. Dani Carvajal’s booking at the Etihad will result in Lucas Vazquez starting in his place in Munich.