The UEFA Champions League semifinal between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid kicks off Tuesday with a delicious first leg at the Allianz Arena in Germany. Bayern is looking to salvage a rocky season, while Real Madrid is trying to reassert itself as the king of European soccer.
Both Bayern and Madrid eliminated English Premier League title contenders — Arsenal and Manchester City, respectively — in the quarterfinals. Both are giants of the sport. They have previously met seven times in the Champions League semifinals. They have won the competition and its predecessor, the European Cup, a combined 20 times (Real Madrid 14, Bayern 6).
But their 2023-24 seasons have been very different. Real Madrid is waltzing toward a La Liga title. Bayern, meanwhile, has relinquished the German Bundesliga crown for the first time in over a decade. Its coach, Thomas Tuchel, is persistently under fire. Without a trip to the Champions League final, this year would represent the club’s biggest failure in a while.
For all of those reasons, Bayern was an underdog in the quarters. But Joshua Kimmich’s crucial second-half header secured a 1-0 second leg victory over Arsenal, and a 3-2 aggregate win.
Real Madrid will likely be a tougher test. In the last two semifinal meetings between the clubs, Real Madrid prevailed.
Tuesday’s first leg kicks off at 3 p.m. ET. The second leg is next Wednesday, May 8.
The other semifinal, Paris Saint-Germain against Borussia Dortmund, is Wednesday and next Tuesday.
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