UCL Road to Kiev Final: Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich

The stars seemed to be aligned for Madrid this season. After eliminating two perennial Champions League favorites in PSG and Juventus in the previous knockout rounds, Zidane’s men are 90 minutes away from a third consecutive Champions League final. What has been key for Real Madrid has been their ability to score goals in crucial moments during these matches. The first leg was massively disappointing for Jupp Heynckes’s men and they must feel frustrated having to arrive in Madrid with a 2-1 deficit to overturn. Lewandowski will be hoping for a better performance in the second leg and with a returning David Alaba and Javi Martinez, Bayern may be able to do what PSG and Juventus previously failed to do.

Both sides rested their key players at the weekend, with Heynckes going as far as rotating 8 different players into the lineup for their Bundesliga game. Bayern won comfortably regardless of the rotations, defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1. Zidane also had the luxury of resting his key players with La Liga beyond Madrid at this point of the season, and his side won 2-1 at the weekend against Leganes.  Bayern have already won the Bundesliga title and the DFB Cup final also awaits them, but the Champions League is the trophy they will want to win the most this season. Madrid have nothing left to play for other than defending their European dominance for a second straight time, which has yet to be accomplished or even attempted in the modern Champions League era. James Rodriguez vs Isco will be the duel that could prove key for both sides because both players will be looking to provide that spark for their goal-scorers in Lewandowski and Cristiano. With a goal at the weekend for Madrid, Gareth Bale may also have a say in this tie, however, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vasquez have both provided valuable contributions so far in the knockout rounds. Bayern may rue all of the chances they missed in the first leg, but they will know that Madrid have proved vulnerable at home after seeing Juventus come within minutes of victory in the last tie.

Cristiano failed to score for the first time in a Champions League game this season, which is an incredible statistic, but he will look to score in the second leg to lead his team to the final in Kiev.

Lewandowski’s future has been subject to intense speculation these last few months, which can sometimes unsettle a player, but he will certainly put in a better performance in the second leg for his potential new employers

Bayern will be without key men Arturo Vidal and Arjen Robben in the second leg. Madrid will also be without key man Dani Carvajal. It will be interesting to see how Zidane covers that position knowing that Ribery was one of Bayern’s best players in the first leg.

Bayern win 6th straight Bundesliga Title

Bayern Munich thrashed Augsburg 4-1 to claim their sixth successive Bundesliga title. The German champions were disappointed by an early own goal by Sule which gave the advantage to Augsburg in the 18th minute. Before Augsburg’s confidence grew, Joshua Kimmich took up the creative responsibility and crossed in for Tolisso who scored in the 32nd minute. From then on, it was all Bayern as Kimmich also provided a goal for James Rodriguez only six minutes later. Arjen Robben’s half-volley and Wagner’s header confirmed the victory for the side and sparked the title-winning celebrations on a day that Frank Ribery was born. This victory means that Bayern Munich have now won 27 Bundesliga titles and this is the fourth title for coach Jupp Heynckes, who came out of retirement to replace Ancelotti late last year. Bayern have undeniably dominated the domestic league. This makes one wonder what their rivals are doing and if they are doing enough to stop this consistent team. Borussia Dortmund their closest rivals for years have recently fallen backward and are not as competitive as they used to be. It seems as if they have given up considering that most of their talented players and that of the rest of the teams in the league, are just lured to the German champions which weakens them.

Bayern hunting for their Treble

Bayern’s domestic dominance is so thorough that the UEFA Champions League is more significant to the club and its fans. They are chasing the dream of winning the treble again which they managed to win back in 2013. Where is this buzz coming from, you may ask? This is because of the fact that the man who led them to glory in that year, Heynckes, is the very same person who took over from Ancelotti this season and has brought back the confidence and the swagger to the dynamic Bayern Munich team. Heynckes marked his last season in football with a famous treble for the German champions before he retired. The club had to beg him to come out of retirement and help their club one more time since they could not find a more suitable replacement for Ancelotti. They have not been disappointed. The coach has since seen his club dominate with a league title almost certain to be sewn up in early April while a cup semifinal is a few weeks away. They have now focused their attention towards dispatching Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the UCL. The club is looking to build up on their last win against local rivals Dortmund whom they humiliated in a 6-0 win on Saturday. Sevilla however, are also focused on fixing their defensive problems after surrendering a 2 goal lead to Barcelona and were on-course to become the first team to beat the Catalans in the league this season. Both teams have been performing well this season and this will be an interesting clash. Will Heynckes succeed in claiming another treble this season? Only time will tell.

Bayern Munich more attractive than Arsenal for the former Borussia Dortmund coach

The former Borussia Dortmund boss, Thomas Tuchel has today confirmed that he is interest taking the job at his old club’s rivals. Even with an enticing prospect of joining Arsenal, Tuchel showed that he prioritizes the Bayern Munich job because of how big the club is. Arsenal might be an interesting option considering how competitive the English Premier League is but the prospect of joining the biggest club in Germany gives joy to any sensible coach because they are capable to challenge with the very best in the world. Bayern Munich are currently on the lookout for a replacement for interim boss Heynckes who will step down in the summer. Tuchel who turned down the opportunity to work at Southampton a fortnight ago is believed not to be interested also in the structure at Arsenal because it does not suit him. Only he knows what he means by that. He would even prefer the Chelsea role over the one at the Emirates. Tuchel seems to be very ambitious and it would be wise if he picked any role from the aforementioned 3 clubs when it comes up because they do not just come along for they are very big clubs.