Bayern Munich will look to channel memories of old when they take on Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Named Clasico Europeo in Spain and Europäischer Klassiker in Germany, this is the resumption of one of the fiercest inter-country rivalries in Europe.
Such was Bayern’s expertise in dumping Real out of the Champions League in years past that they’ve become known as the ‘Black Beasts’ among Los Blancos supporters.
However, if they’re to drive fear into the hearts of the 15-time champions again, they’re going to have to overturn a miserable recent record in this fixture.
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Old enemies meet again
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have contested 28 Champions League/European Cup matches previously, including 13 two-legged knockout ties.
The Bavarians lost just three of the first 13 meetings between 1976 and 2002, knocking Madrid out of three semi-finals during that time — including the 2000/01 defending European champions that boasted the likes of Luis Figo, Iker Casillas, Roberto Carlos, Raul and Guti.
Bayern were consistently the team Real Madrid did not want to draw deep in the Champions League, with it seemingly inevitable that they’d bow out at whatever stage they met the Rekordmeister.
The tables have turned more recently, with Madrid winning the last four two-legged knockout ties and going unbeaten in nine overall meetings.
You have to go back to the 2011/12 semi-finals for Bayern’s last triumph, with Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben inspiring them to a penalty shootout win after a 3-3 draw, en route to that heartbreaking final defeat on home soil to Chelsea. But once again, that was Bayern’s second consecutive victory in this fixture, having also sent out Real Madrid in the 2006/07 last 16 on away goals after a 4-4 draw.
Can Harry Kane dump Real Madrid out of Champions League?
While Madrid hold recent dominance in this rivalry, Bayern have pushed them incredibly close in the last two meetings, with Los Blancos just scraping through 4-3 on aggregate in both the 2017/18 and 2023/24 semi-finals.
This year, Bayern will feel like they have a great chance of striking a long-awaited blow to Madrid.
Die Roten head to Madrid for Tuesday’s first leg unbeaten in 13 across all competitions, having won 10 of those matches. They also sent out a serious statement in the quarter-finals, crushing Italian entertainers Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate, including a 6-1 win away from home in the first leg.
Madrid, by contrast, are licking their wounds after a 2-1 defeat to Mallorca that leaves them seven points off the pace in La Liga.
And while there’s no doubting Madrid have someone to seriously fear in Kylian Mbappe, who has 39 goals in 39 games across all competitions this season, Bayern will back their own star forward, Harry Kane, to get the job done.
Kane will enter this game fresh, having not played since the final game before the international break, and he won’t have forgotten his form to that point — scoring in nine of his last 10 appearances across all competitions, clocking up 14 goals total during that time.
The England international hasn’t gone more than one game without a goal for club or country since early November. What’s more, in Europe’s top seven leagues and three major continental competitions combined, Kane’s 41 goals leave him five clear of any other player (Mbappe is second), while he’s also top for goals per 90 minutes (1.34, minimum 1,000 minutes played).
Wednesday sees one of Europe’s fiercest and most dramatic continental rivalries resume, and Bayern Munich will be banking on Kane to provide the goals that will remind Real Madrid exactly why they’ve feared the Bavarians so much over the years.