Real must mount comeback

Real Madrid arrive in Munich on Wednesday needing a win to keep their Champions League season alive after Bayern Munich took the first leg 2-1 in Madrid on April 7. (uefa.com) The second leg is at the Allianz Arena, listed by Union of European Football Associations as Fußball Arena München, with kickoff set for 21:00 Central European Time on April 15. Bayern carry a one-goal aggregate lead into the match. (uefa.com) Bayern earned that edge through Luis Díaz’s goal in the 41st minute and Harry Kane’s in the 46th, before Kylian Mbappé pulled one back in the 74th for Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. Manuel Neuer was then named Player of the Match after a nine-save performance. (uefa.com) (espn.com) The task is straightforward on paper: Madrid must overturn a one-goal deficit away from home against a Bayern side that Union of European Football Associations says has won every home game in Europe this season and averaged 3.2 goals in those matches. (uefa.com) The tie also lands in a season when both clubs were knocked out in the quarter-finals a year ago, making this week’s match a direct route back toward the semi-finals for two of Europe’s most decorated teams. Union of European Football Associations lists Bayern as six-time European champions and Madrid as 15-time winners. (uefa.com) This is also the most-played fixture in Champions League history, with the first leg marking the clubs’ 29th meeting in the competition. Union of European Football Associations says Madrid lead the head-to-head 13 wins to 12. (uefa.com) Bayern have recent numbers on their side too. The club said this is the 23rd time it has won away in the first leg of a European Cup or Champions League knockout tie, and it advanced in 21 of the previous 22 cases. (fcbayern.com) Opta’s supercomputer, as cited by beIN SPORTS on April 10, gave Bayern a 64.5% chance to advance and Real Madrid a 35.5% chance. Those projections reflect the first-leg result, not any guarantee about the second leg itself. (beinsports.com) Bayern coach Vincent Kompany has kept the margin in perspective, saying, “It’s just one goal,” while captain Manuel Neuer said Bayern have “a slight advantage” and the benefit of a home crowd in Munich. (fcbayern.com) Madrid still have Mbappé, who Union of European Football Associations says is closing in on the competition’s single-season scoring record, and the late goal in the first leg kept the tie from tilting further toward Bayern. By Wednesday night in Munich, one goal either way can still change everything. (uefa.com)