Real Madrid vs. Bayern: what the coaches said before the CL clash

carlo anceloti has confirmed that the goalkeeper Andriy Lunin will start with real Madrid in the second leg of his Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old played between the sticks in last week’s first leg at the Allianz Arena, where Los Blancos rescued a 2-2 draw thanks to an 83rd-minute penalty. Vinícius junior.

Lunin has played regularly for Real Madrid this season due to the absence of the starting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtoiswho has been sidelined for much of the campaign with an ACL injury.

The Ukrainian has made 29 appearances in all competitions so far, keeping 12 clean sheets and has made the fourth-most saves (34) in this season’s Champions League in his seven appearances in the competition.

Lunin was replaced by Courtois in the starting line-up in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Cádiz in La Liga last weekend, a victory that secured the club’s 36th top-flight title with four games remaining. but Ancelotti has since confirmed his decision on who. On Wednesday he will start in goal against Bayern.

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Lunin will start ahead of Courtois for the Bayern matchup

In the press conference prior to Tuesday’s match, Ancelotti stated: “Lunin will play tomorrow. Courtois has to take his time to return to his best level. He played against Cádiz after training very well and played an excellent game, transmitting security and confidence “. , but he has to get back to the best level of him.”

Ancelotti’s only concern about injuries is that of the defender David Alaba who remains sidelined with a knee problem, but the rest of his Real Madrid team are fit and raring to go as they strive to take another step towards winning a record-extending 15th European Cup. record.

“We have to try to give our best,” said the Italian. “We are very excited because we have a great opportunity to reach the final again, taking into account the difficulties, which are many. We are in good shape, very motivated and we will try to do it.” our best effort. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Anything can happen, but we’re looking forward to another fantastic night.

“It could be another magical night for our fans, but we are not optimistic, we are only aware of the difficulties we may encounter in the game. We need to play an intense game with good rhythm, both offensively and defensively. We could have done much more defensively in the first leg. We want an intense game.

“On Saturday we were happy because we won the league, but we had to control our happiness because we had to prepare for this game. We will put the league aside and (soon) find out how we are going to celebrate the league title, of course we will let’s celebrate”.

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Ancelotti confident of beating Bayern

When asked if he is confident about progressing to the final, Ancelotti added: “I am confident because we are talking about Real Madrid and we have this squad, which has done very well this season.

“I trust the fans to support us… we are in a good position, but (Thomas) Tuchel will also think he is in a good position in the tie. We enjoyed preparing for today’s game and tomorrow we will focus on the game.”

“Today is a day worth savoring and is a great source of motivation to be in the spotlight. There is a lot of worry and fear before the match, but today is incredible: preparing for a semi-final with the prospect of reaching another final It really motivates you.

“(Bayern) has experienced players at Bayern who know the character of this team very well, like (Manuel) Neuer, (Thomas) Müller, (Joshua) Kimmich… If extra time comes, we will play extra time.”

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Bayern recovered from the injuries of De Ligt and Musiala

Meanwhile, the Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel has issued a positive injury update Matthijs de Ligtconfirming that the centre-back is fit to play in Wednesday’s second leg after a brief spell on the sidelines.

De Ligt missed the first leg in Munich and last weekend’s 3-1 Bundesliga defeat in Stuttgart due to a knee problem, but the Dutchman has since taken part in training and is a candidate to be buddy. Eric Dier in the center.

“Right now, Eric Dier and Matthijs de Ligt are at the top. They deserve to continue playing together. Matthijs has given the green light (to play),” Tuchel said in his press conference on Tuesday night.

Bayern have also been encouraged by the news that the midfield sensation Jamal Musiala He has returned to training this week and is in the running to play against Real Madrid after missing the league defeat to Stuttgart with a minor knee problem.

However, the Bavarians will be left without the services of Rafael Guerreirowho suffered a season-ending ankle injury last time out, and joins Kingsley Coman (groin), Sacha Boey (hip), Bouna Sarr (LCA) and Tarek Buchman (hamstring) in the treatment room.

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Tuchel: ‘Bayern must be clinical to beat Real’

Bayern go into Wednesday’s match having failed to keep a single clean sheet away from home in 2024, while they have never surpassed their former coach Ancelotti in nine previous attempts; No team has ever experienced a worse winless streak against the same manager in Champions League history.

Despite this, Tuchel remains optimistic and has insisted that his team does not face an “impossible” task on Wednesday, but has called on his players to be “clinical” in crucial moments.

“I think it could be an undulating game with different phases,” Tuchel said. “Both teams will also have to suffer at times. Both teams are also extremely strong in ball handling. Both teams are very strong in quick transition play. I think it will be a very complex game with different phases. In the phases where you have momentum, you need luck and be clinical.

“(The Bernabéu is) one of the most difficult stadiums to win, but it’s not impossible. We had a very good first leg, but unfortunately we didn’t win. Given that they are at home, maybe it’s 51% for Real. Obviously it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. We are also a big club in Europe so it is a great matchup.

“We have to protect ourselves very well against Real’s counterattacking game. It will be very important to play as a team. We need a lot of solidarity, we need faith and we have to work for it. Real plays a little more offensively. In home games the starting position is clear, the winner will go to Wembley and we want to be winners.

The winners of Wednesday’s clash will face Borussia Dortmund in the final, who beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on aggregate in the semi-final, winning both games by a score of 1-0.

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