Bayern Munich v Real Madrid: Heynckes chasing another treble

The last time Bayern Munich won the treble of UEFA Champions League, DFB Pokal Cup, and the Bundesliga was 2013, and the manager was Jupp Heynckes.

Bayern have already won the Bundesliga, are in the final of the Pokal and have the opportunity to best the defending champions for another final.

The 72-year-old manager alluded to that feat in his press conference, “We are in a similar vein of form to 2013 and we work exceptionally hard as a team. But there is very tough opposition in the way.”

But this is where it gets tricky because the only salvation for Zinedine Zidane and his players is the Champions League.

Heynckes said “Two teams, who have a great tradition in the European Cup and the Champions League. There is no favourite for me.”

Bayern Chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, believes Bayern have the spirit and togetherness to knock out the champions.

Stats	Bayern Munich	Real Madrid
Chances Created	145	156
Shot Accuracy	0.47	0.5
Errors Leading to Goals	1	1
Goals Scored	23	26
Goals Conceded	8	17

Rummenigge said: “If there’s a team that can beat Real, it is Bayern. Jupp [Heynckes] has managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together in a wonderful way. There is no kind of envy or selfishness, just great team spirit.”

Both teams have scored lots of goals in their 10 UEFA Champions League matches but it is harder to score against Bayern than it is against Real Madrid, which could prove a decisive factor on Wednesday.

There can be no favourites before the match kicks off, as the result, will be determined by which team wants the win more. The Bavarians will be hampered by some key injury absences. Arturo Vidal and Kingsley Coman are ruled out while David Alaba is a major doubt.

For Zidane, the major challenge is deciding who will partner the prolific Cristiano Ronaldo in the attack. Will it be Isco, Karim Benzema, or Gareth Bale?

Current Form: Bayern [W-W-W-L-W]; Real Madrid [D-W-L-D-W]

Head to head

Tue 18/04/17 UCL Real Madrid 4 – 2 Bayern Munich

Wed 12/04/17 UCL Bayern Munich 1 – 2 Real Madrid

Thu 04/08/16 ICC Bayern Munich 0 – 1 Real Madrid

Wed 05/08/15 AUC Bayern Munich 1 – 0 Real Madrid

Tue 29/04/14 UCL Bayern Munich 0 – 4 Real Madrid

In a case of reunions, Toni Kroos comes back to his former club while James Rodriguez welcomes his former teammates. “I played under Jupp Heynckes myself for a long time and I know he’s a top coach.

“When he came back, he changed the feeling of the whole team. Since he arrived, they’ve played much better so I think they’re harder to beat than last year,” said Kroos.

Rodriguez wanted more playing time, something he couldn’t be afforded by Zidane, who explained, “I didn’t want James to leave. He wanted more game time, which I can understand.

“I never had any problem with him, he just wanted to play. James loves to play football, so of course, he’ll want to do a good job tomorrow. But not to show me or prove me wrong.” Well, we would see about that!

Words before the war

“Big teams need to be able to cope with injuries to big players like Vidal. He’s a world-class player, so it’s a shame for him because he dreams of winning the Champions League. The team will fight for him.” – Jupp Heynckes, Bayern Munich Manager

“I have huge respect for what Jupp Heynckes has achieved at Bayern and Real Madrid. I can only repay the compliments to him. We will need a big performance against a strong opponent. Bayern are a great club with great team spirit.” – Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid Manager