Confident Real Madrid prepares for Champions League visit to Munich

MADRID, April 29 — Real Madrid has virtually a full squad avallable as it travels to face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday.
Carlo Ancelotti was able to rest most of the players who will start in the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night in Friday’s 1-0 win away to Real Sociedad – with that game brought forward 24 hours by La Liga to help Madrid’s preparation.
< None of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham were all rested in San Sebastian, with Rodrygo suffering from flu and Bellingham laid low with a stomach bug, but all three will be in the side.
Andriy Lunin will continue in goal, despite Carlo Ancelotti confirming last week that Thibaut Courtois could be fit enough to play against Cadiz next weekend, while Antonio Rudiger will also come back into the side after a weekend off, with the powerful German stopper likely to play alongside Aurelien Tchouameni at the heart of Madrid’s back four.
Saturday’s win put Real Madrid 14 points clear of FC Barcelona and 13 clear of Girona at the top of La Liga, and although that lead could be down to 11 if Barcelona beat Valencia on Monday night, it means there is a good chance Madrid could seal the La Liga title next weekend if they win at home to struggling Cadiz.
Madrid’s win away to Manchester City on penalties in the quarterfinals was a huge boost to their morale as they defended
Rodrygo’s early goal in depth and at times rode their luck.
Ancelotti can be unpredictable as a coach, and although there is a good chance he will set his side to defend deep and use Vinicius and Rodrygo’s pace on the break, there is also a possibility his side could step out and look to control the game, putting Bayern on the back foot.
If Madrid is to control the ball, much will rest on former Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos dictating the pace and movement in the middle of the pitch and the ability of the two Brazilian forwards and Fede Velverde to create space.
Bayern has looked more vulnerable this season than in recent seasons, although Thomas Tuchel has shown he can organize a team for specific games as he did when leading Chelsea to European success in 2021. That year saw Chelsea knock Real Madrid out of the semifinal in the Champions League and that is something the Spanish side will do well to remember.