Bayern München vs Real Madrid Champions League preview: Where to watch, predicted line-ups, form, coaches' thoughts

Bayern München host Real Madrid with a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals at stake on Wednesday 15 April.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.

What you need to know

Bayern and Madrid met for the 29th time in the first leg – another chapter in the Champions League's most repeated fixture. Goals from Luis Díaz and Harry Kane earned Bayern a narrow 2-1 win, ending Madrid's nine-game unbeaten run in this match-up (W7 D2), but Kylian Mbappé's late strike could prove pivotal as the tie heads to Munich.

Both sides were eliminated at this stage last season and there remains little to separate them historically – Madrid lead the head-to-head 13 wins to 12 – but Bayern now have the chance to seize the initiative in a rivalry that of late has swung the Spanish side's way.

Vincent Kompany's team are in formidable form, winning every home game in Europe this season, averaging 3.2 goals in those matches, and losing just twice in 44 matches across all competitions. With Kane chasing a personal-best Champions League goal tally and Mbappé closing in on the competition's single-season scoring record of 17, the second leg brings together two sides with attacking firepower in abundance – and very little margin for error.

Possible line-ups

Bayern München: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanišić; Kimmich, Pavlović; Olise, Gnabry, Luis Díaz; Kane

Real Madrid: Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rüdiger, Éder Militão, Fran García; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Arda Güler, Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior

Form guide

Bayern München

Form: WWWWWD (most recent game first)
Latest: St Pauli 0-5 Bayern, 11/04, German Bundesliga

Real Madrid

Form: DLLWWW
Latest: Real Madrid 1-1 Girona, 10/04, Spanish Liga

Views from the camps

Vincent Kompany, Bayern coach: "Everyone will be available for the game. We have our own processes for getting ready, and there's a lot of excitement going into the match. We want to win, to show that we can deliver what our fans expect from us. We respect our opponents, of course, but this team has to go into the game with the confidence to win."

Manuel Neuer, Bayern goalkeeper: "We only have a one-goal lead, and the match could go in any direction. Real Madrid are always tough and demanding opponents, but we have a slight edge, and we also have the advantage of a special home atmosphere on nights like tomorrow. Our starting position is good, but we can't become complacent, because we've seen in the past how Real can strike. Nevertheless, we're confident."

Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid coach: "We need to improve many aspects of our game. It’s important to take our chances as we won’t have as many as in the first leg. It’s about confidence. We have to play very well."

Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid midfielder: "It's a final for us. We have a lot at stake and we have to play well. It's all or nothing, that's our mentality. We're not going to hide."

Reporter's view

James Thorogood, match reporter
The 'European Clásico' lived up to its billing in the first leg as these two juggernauts went blow for blow. Bayern's first win at the Santiago Bernabéu in 25 years put the competition on notice – but this is Real Madrid and the Champions League. No one at Bayern is taking anything for granted, and the final 20 minutes of the opener underlined the jeopardy left in this tie. However, if the hosts can book a semi-final ticket at the expense of the record 15-time titleholders, then talk of the club's third treble to add to 2012/13 and 2019/20 will only gain momentum in Munich.