In what seems like an eon ago, Real Madrid was in crisis. The LaLiga side sacked their promising coach, Xabi Alonso, just months into his first season — the Spaniard who had led Bayer Leverkusen to an undefeated Bundesliga season proving unable to effect the kind of culture change the Galácticos arguably still sorely need.
However, does any of that matter? Real is now led by Álvaro Arbeloa, the 43-year-old whose managerial career to date consists only of Real’s youth teams, prior to taking charge
after Xabi’s sacking. And here they are in a Champions League quarterfinal facing Bayern Munich, having smacked Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate over two legs in the round before.
Real, it seems, is the real deal where it matters most. The club synonymous with Champions League success is star-laden, firing on all cylinders, and a big threat to put a serious dent in Bayern’s sparkling season. And Bayern knows it well.
Speaking to Kicker, Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß gave 50-50 odds on the result of the tie.
“What stands out about Real is that they are good when it matters, in the really important games,” Hoeneß said in remarks captured by @iMiaSanMia. “Generally speaking, I think it’s been a long time since we’ve had such great quarter-finals; it’s all top teams.”
Beyond Bayern and Real, the remaining UCL quarterfinals matchups are:
- Sporting / Arsenal
- Barcelona / Atlético Madrid
- Paris Saint-Germain / Liverpool
If Bayern get past this round, it will be the winners of PSG vs. Liverpool next. As the saying goes, there are no easy games anymore.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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