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Heynckes tipping Bayern and Madrid to turn it on

FC Bayern München's Jupp Heynckes expects "a spectacular game" when Real Madrid CF visit the Fußball Arena München, while José Mourinho says his team "have nothing to lose".

Heynckes tipping Bayern and Madrid to turn it on
Heynckes tipping Bayern and Madrid to turn it on ©UEFA.com

FC Bayern München coach Jupp Heynckes is confident his side's UEFA Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid CF will live up to its heavyweight billing, but dismisses suggestions the Liga leaders are favourites to progress. Madrid counterpart José Mourinho, meanwhile, expects his German hosts to play "with a lot of emotion" with a home final just two matches away.

Bayern
Jupp Heynckes, coach
We will see two teams in good shape and there is no clear favourite to me. I know Real quite well, they have improved a lot this season, and their attack is impressive. We are expecting a very offensive side, particularly in Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo will begin on the left but he is a player who is everywhere on the field, so it won't just be [Philipp] Lahm's duty to get control of him – it will be the whole team's. It is all a question of how to get into the game. Of course we have a strategy, but in the end the players on the field will decide.

Having the final here in Munich is an important extra motivation for us. My players are confident and very motivated. Everybody is focused, the guys want to fulfil their dream and play a home final here in Munich. The chance to play the final at your home ground is once in a lifetime.

The pressure is still high for us. It is not less because we do not have to care any more about the Bundesliga. There are still two titles for us and this is what we have to focus on now. The rest we should forget. The players want to have success and that is how they are putting pressure on themselves.

There is a lot of expectation ahead of the game. We will see a spectacular game – not just in attack but also in defence. They will show what they can do and I am looking forward to this. I am expecting a very interesting game.

Weekend result
Saturday: Bayern 0-0 1. FSV Mainz 05
Neuer; Rafinha, Boateng, Badstuber, Contento; Tymoshchuk, Schweinsteiger; Robben, T Müller (Kroos 79), Alaba (Ribéry 46); Olić (Gomez 61)

• Bayern drew a blank for the second consecutive match as their run of 11 straight home wins in all competitions came to an end. They are eight points behind Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund with three fixtures remaining.

Team news
Daniel Van Buyten has been unavailable with a broken metatarsal since 20 January, while Breno is yet to play this season because of knee problems.

Real Madrid
José Mourinho, coach
We have nothing to lose in the Champions League. The only thing we have lost this season is the Spanish Cup. Now we are concentrating on the Champions League and the Spanish championship.

I don't have any doubts about my starting lineup. I know who will be on the field, on the bench and in the stand tomorrow. For matches like this I know who will play some days in advance. I won't tell you anything about my team for the game but I know, for example, how important a player like Kaká can be in a match like this.

Bayern are an institution. They have everything you need to be a very big club and they have everything to proceed to the final. We can write history and take the next step. Bayern have lots of individual quality, but there is a strong collective [emphasis], also. And they have a great coach, Jupp Heynckes. They are playing great football.

I don't think we are the favourites. More important than my opinion is that of other people, the experts, like [Franz] Beckenbauer and [Ottmar] Hitzfeld, who think Bayern are favourites because of our recent experiences against them. Bayern will play with a lot of emotion. They are a good team with great individuals and an intelligent coach. It should be an interesting game.

Weekend result
Saturday: Madrid 3-1 Real Sporting de Gijón
(Higuaín 37, Ronaldo 74, Benzema 82; De las Cuevas 30pen)
Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Khedira, Şahin; (Benzema 46), Callejón (Di María 46), Özil, Ronaldo; Higuaín (Granero 76)

• Shorn of the suspended Xabi Alonso, Madrid increased their tally of Liga goals this term to 107 – equalling the club record set in 1989/90. Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed his 40-goal Liga haul of last season and has now scored 59 times in 55 games for club and country this term.

Team news
Ricardo Carvalho (thigh, out since 20 March) and Lassana Diarra (hamstring, 21 March) are back in training but have not made the trip to Munich. Marcelo and Ángel Di María are available again following respective back and thigh injuries.

Match fact
The clubs have met in four previous European Cup semi-finals, with Bayern prevailing three times (1976, 1987, 2001) to Madrid's one (2000). Iker Casillas is the only survivor of the two most recent last-four ties.

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