Bayern Munich do have a challenging task of overcoming a 1-2 deficit in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals against Real Madrid. The match is about to take place at the Santiago Bernabeu this Tuesday.
Jupp Heynckes was recalled for the managerial position at the Allianz after Carlo Ancelotti struggled to meet the standards last year. The 72-year-old seems to have picked up right where he had left things off, four seasons back – the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal already in the bag with the European competition left for grabs.
However, things are not exactly quite as they were. Munich were in a far better state going into the season and were always the heavy favourites to win the Champions League. This year, Heynckes does not have the young legs of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery or the leadership of Manuel Neuer at the back. Most of the bench is new and is still settling into the ways of life in Germany.
While they might not exactly be depleted in terms of world class talent, they certainly are not their strongest going into this fixture. The Bavarians will have to shake things up at the Bernabeu in order to make the hard-fought comeback against the 2-time reigning champions.
Madrid have just conceded the league title to their bitter rivals, Barcelona and only have the continental cup as their only means of registering silver this campaign. Zinedine Zidane’s masterful stroke has worked brilliantly in the past and could bear similar results in this tie.
To counter that, here is how the Bayern Munich squad might line up on game day.
Formation: 4-5-1
Defence
Sven Ulreich should get the nod in between the sticks. There is no telling as to when Neuer will make his proverbial return but his absence is proving to be a major loss.
The injury train keeps on hitting the Munich team when it is the most unwanted as Jerome Boateng just got ruled out for the remainder of the season.
He might get replaced by Niklas Sule in the centre-back role. Matt Hummels to appear next to the 22-year-old.
David Alaba is expected to mark his return on the left with Joshua Kimmich on the right.
Midfield
Javi Martinez’s defensive efforts will be relied on in the holding midfield role. Thiago Alcantara and Thomas Mueller might appear in front of the Spaniard while Frank Ribery and James Rodriguez provide width from the flanks.
Attack
Robert Lewandowski is set to start in the number nine role.
