Bundesliga league leaders Bayern Munich will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu, hoping to overcome a 2:1 deficit against the defending champions Real Madrid on Tuesday night. It has been a rough week for Carlo Ancelotti so far, failing to register any victory and losing a few key players to injury. Following the 2:1 loss to Real, the Bavarians also stumbled against Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga to draw 0:0.
To make it worse, they will also miss the services of two defensive centre-halves in Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels due to injury while Javi Martinez will be suspended for the clash due to his red card incident in the first half.
Predicted 4-3-3 Bayern Munich Lineup Vs Real Madrid
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer was absolutely brilliant when the two sides last met in the first leg. He made numerous saves to keep Bayern in the game, and he is expected to play a similar role tomorrow night.
Right Back: Bayern captain Philip Lahm will lead his team on Tuesday. The 33-year-old was rested against Leverkusen, keeping the midweek clash in mind. This time, he will have to perform better to stop the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo from dominating the flanks.
Center Back(R): It would be a huge dilemma for coach Carlo Ancelotti to pick the two centre-halves against Real. With Hummels and Boateng both injured and Martinez not being available for selection, the Italian mastermind will probably go with Xabi Alonso in the backline. The former Real Madrid did use to play as a CB for a couple of occasions under previous boss Pep Guardiola.
Center Back(L): It wouldn’t be much of a hesitation to choose David Alaba as the left-sided centre-back. The Austrian featured in that particular position numerous time this season, and also prevailed greatly playing as LCB.
Left Back: Juan Bernat will play one of his biggest games as a Bayern Munich player as he is set to start as the left back against Real Madrid. It will sure be a mammoth task to keep Danny Carvajal at bay in the opposing flank.
Central Defensive Midfielder: With the absence of Xabi Alonso in midfield, Arturo Vidal will be the main man for Bayern in the middle. The Chilean will have to show his true class to prevail against the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. He will be looking to make amends after missing the crucial penalty in the first leg.
Central Defensive Midfield: Joshua Kimmich is expected to be picked ahead of Renato Sanches in midfield, due to his greater experience in the Champions League. Although the 21-year-old has failed to live up to the expectation this season, Kimmich is normally a good performer against big teams.
Central Midfield: Thiago Alcantara will not have much freedom due to the injuries of several key players in the team. He is expected to start from a deeper position in order to help the midfield duo of Kimmich and Vidal.
Right Wing: Arjen Robben will be fresh after a rest in weekend’s fixture against Leverkusen. The Dutchman failed to breach the opposition lines in the first half but will be looking to unleash his deadly left foot to good effect this time.
Left Wing: Franck Ribery was also rested in the weekend fixture. It will be interesting to see how Bayern’s attacking duo in Ribery and Robben against this weak defensive setup of Real Madrid.
Striker: Robert Lewandowski‘s absence played a huge role in their defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg, as the Bavarian simply looked out of sorts in the offence. However, the Polish International is expected to return to the pitch in the second leg and will replace Thomas Muller as the main frontline attacker for FC Bayern.
