Real Madrid are the new favorites to win the Champions League
• 1 min read
The UEFA Champions League semifinals begin on Tuesday with a bang, as Bayern Munich host Real Madrid in a matchup between two of Europe’s most storied clubs.
Two weeks after ousting Manchester City from the competition, Real Madrid enter the first leg as the favorites to win the whole thing and are the only remaining team that has yet to lose a Champions League game this season. Carlo Ancelotti is expected to roll out another star-studded lineup that could include in-form goalscorers Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham.
As for Bayern, the semifinal berth is a silver lining in a season that has otherwise been worth forgetting. While Harry Kane is in top form with 42 goals in 42 games, there are questions around whether or not the German side’s leaky back line is up for the task in this tie. Thomas Tuchel will hope for a repeat of their second leg win over Arsenal in the quarterfinals, when center back duo Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier successfully shut out the Gunners’ attack.
Here’s a glance at the broadcast schedule for Tuesday’s match, plus some coverage from across the CBS Sports team to get you ready for kick off.
Broadcast schedule
All times U.S./Eastern
- CBS Sports Golazo Matchday, 1 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- UEFA Champions League Today pre-match, 2 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
- Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
- UEFA Champions League Today post-match, 5 p.m. (CBS Sports Network, Paramount+)
- Scoreline, 5 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- The Champions Club, 8 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- Kickin’ It: Trae Tha Truth, 9 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
Must-reads
- Picks and predictions for this week’s semifinals
- Making the case for each semifinalist to win the whole thing
Get set with Golazo Network
Bayern take the lead!
57′ Bayern were down 1-0 just four minutes ago but now are up 2-1 thanks to a penalty from Kane, who can always be counted on from the spot. He’s now scored a perfect seven from seven since joining Bayern at the start of the season and it’s his eighth goal this season in the Champions League, bringing him level with Mbappe.
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Dier close to scoring
67′ Bayern seem to have momentum on their side and are able to force a corner, from which Dier has a free header. Lunin makes the stop, but one might argue Dier could have done better to give Bayern a 3-1 lead.
A change for Madrid
65′ Ancelotti opts to make a substitution in the back line, bringing on Camavinga for Nacho.
Penalty to Bayern!
56′ Musiala is fouled in the penalty area by Vazquez, and the referee quickly points to the spot. Kane lines up to take the spotkick that could change the course of this match.
Bayern equalize!
53′ Bayern are officially on the board, courtesy of Sane. He wins the ball on the right wing and is clinical as he makes his way into the penalty area, strikes the ball with power and his unstoppable shot ends up in the back of the net. It’s Sane’s first goal in six months and a big one at that — it’s officially 1-1 in this tie.
Kroos with a chance
52′ The first big chance of the second half comes from Kroos, whose curved shot from an angle is stopped by his Germany teammate Neuer. It’s just the latest example of a stellar game so far from Kroos, who has dominated the midfield so far at the Allianz Arena — his former home.
Second half begins
Bayern make one change at halftime — Guerreiro comes on for Goretzka.
Halftime stats
Bayern have the edge in possession with 51.9% of the ball, have eight shots to Real Madrid’s three. The hosts have also put three of their shots on frame while Real Madrid have just one, and also lead on expected goals, 0.71 to 0.5. Yet, it’s Real Madrid who are in charge with Vinicius Junior’s strike after what was ultimately a wasteful first half from Bayern.
HT: Bayern 0, Real Madrid 1
- 24′ Vinicius Junior scores following stellar pass from Kroos in Real Madrid’s first shot of the game
Kane from a freekick
43′ Kane is close to finding Bayern’s equalizer with a freekick just yards away from the penalty area, but sends the ball just wide of the goal.
Calmer pace
27′ Things have been fairly calm since Vinicius Junior’s goal, which has not totally sucked the life out of Bayern. In fact, the hosts have had the better of the chances since — Goretzka took a shot a few minutes after the goal, while Bayern almost made something of a corner.
Real Madrid score!
24′ It took Real Madrid more than 20 minutes to take their first shot, but they sure made it count. Kroos plays a smart ball to Vinicius Junior, who gets the better of the Bayern defense to score the game’s opening goal. Vinicius Junior has now scored in the Champions League semifinals for a third year in a row.
Almost a stunning goal
9′ Bayern are finding ways to get ahold of the ball and make runs at goal, the latest an effort from Kane from distance. It was nearly an amazing moment — Kane noticed Lunin was off his line and took the shot, forcing the goalkeeper into a panicky run back towards his goal. Lucky for Lunin, the ball sailed over the net.
Chances for Bayern
6′ It may still be early in this tie, but Bayern continue to search for the game’s opening goal. The hosts nearly got one on a corner before Real Madrid’s defense woke up, while Kane forced a stop out of Lunin and Sane had another chance that he sent over the bar.
Sane with a chance
1′ Barely a minute into the match and Bayern have already showed some attacking intent, courtesy of Sane. He looked close to scoring but Lunin dealt with it near the goal line.
First half underway
The game has officially kicked off in Munich, and the Champions League semifinals have officially begun. Let it be as entertaining as the quarterfinals were.
Familiar foes
Today’s match marks the 27th meeting between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, making it the most frequently played match in Champions League history. The two have faced each other 24 times in the knockout stages and eight times in the semifinal alone, but it’s not the only layer of familiarity at the Allianz Arena today. Bayern’s Musiala and Madrid’s Bellingham were teammates on England’s U-15 team, a group that also included rising Chelsea star Cole Palmer and was captained by USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah.
Additionally, Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel has faced Real Madrid eight times and has lost just once. Recent form might be stacked against him, though — Bayern have failed to win each of their last seven games against Real Madrid and his counterpart on the touchline today, Carlo Ancelotti, has never lost to a German side in the Champions League.
Kane’s first semifinal
Though Kane was part of the Tottenham team that went to the Champions League final in 2019 and started that match against Liverpool, he missed both legs of their semifinal against Ajax with an injury. As a result, today officially marks the England captain’s first appearance in the Champions League semifinals and it could be a very consequential one. Kane comes into the match as a singular bright spot during a rough season for Bayern, and so far has 42 goals in 42 games this season.
Star-studded lineup for Madrid
Much like he did against Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti is letting his word class goalscorers lead the line today against Bayern by naming all three of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Bellingham to the lineup.
Here’s a look at Real Madrid’s team for the first leg of the semifinals.
Real Madrid starting XI: Lunin, Vazquez, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy, Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior
Substitutes: Courtois, Arrizabalaga, Militao, Modric, Camavinga, Joselu, Ceballos, Garcia, Diaz, Guler
Changes in the back for Bayern
A big focus for Bayern today is their back line after a stretch of less-than-ideal performances all season long, and that remains the case as Tuchel makes a change at center back. Kim comes in for de Ligt, who missed training yesterday, and will line up alongside Dier. Further up the pitch, Muller cracks the lineup while Kane once again leads the line.
Here’s a look at Bayern’s team for today’s first leg.
Bayern starting XI: Neuer, Kimmich, Kim, Dier, Mazraoui, Laimer, Goretzka, Sane, Muller, Musiala, Kane
Substitutes: Ulreich, Upemecano, Gnabry, Choupo-Moting, Zaragoza, Peretz, Davies, Guerreiro, Tel, Pavlovic
Tuchel’s tinkers
It has been a season full of ups and downs for Bayern to the point that Thomas Tuchel is officially on his way out after barely a year in the job. Things continue to go right for Bayern in the Champions League, though, and as Charlie Davies notes, Tuchel’s managed to make some tactical shifts that could keep his side competitive against Real Madrid.
- Davies: “The best thing [Tuchel] did was moving [Joshua] Kimmich to right back because Kimmich and [Leon] Goretzka was not a good partnership. It just didn’t work. Now, I don’t think Konrad Laimer is the most proficient central midfielder but it’s worked for the moment with Goretzka.”
All eyes on Real Madrid
As the new favorites to win the Champions League, many will expect a statement-making performance from Los Blancos. It might not actually come, since Real Madrid have come into the semifinals with a batch of imperfect showings behind them. Their resilience, though, has been a key trait of their deep Champions League run and as James Benge argues, they just might be the best team left in the competition because of it.
- Benge: “This is still a squad with institutional memories not just of European triumph, but achieving that on a serial basis. It is also one that is recovering health at an impressive rate, such that Thibaut Courtois was named in the squad that travelled to Munich and may well be able to play a part in at least some of the semifinal tie. The defensive injury crisis was supposed to wipe Madrid out of contention before this stage of the season, now Eder Militao is back and proved himself able to complete the full 90 minutes in victory at Real Sociedad on Friday. However, Aurelien Tchouameni has been so impressive at center back that he may well be entrusted the spot against Harry Kane and company, Carlo Ancelotti having confirmed that the France international will be in his XI.”
Hello and welcome!
The Champions League semifinals are finally here and will begin in style with a high-profile match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Stick around for the buildup to the big game and then for updates once the match is officially underway.
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