NOS Football•today, 06:45
Bayern Munich against Real Madrid, the match is also called the European Clásico. It is the most played match in the history of the Champions League (and predecessor European Cup I), with 26 mutual confrontations.
Tonight, poster number 27 is on the program during the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The Real Madrid coach is all too aware of that history. “Bayern, like us, has a tradition in the Champions League,” Carlo Ancelotti said during the press conference at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Monday.
Real coach Ancelotti and Bayern coach Tuchel have nothing but praise for each other
That is why he does not want to judge Bayern on the results in the Bundesliga. ‘Der Rekordmeister’ did not become national champions for the first time in twelve years and is well behind Bayer Leverkusen. The battle for the German cup tournament was also lost early on, against FC Saarbrücken, which played in the third German level.
Ancelotti prefers to look at the performances in the European billion-dollar ball. “They were very good in both games against Arsenal in the quarter-finals. They eliminated a very strong team in Europe.”
Ancelotti and Real eliminated defending champion Manchester City on penalties.
“It is indicative of the quality and history of Bayern, which is comparable to our history in this competition. History is also extremely important in the Champions League.”
Real Madrid is by far the most successful team in the European tournament, with five wins since 2014 alone, and fourteen in total. Bayern has won the cup six times, making it number three in that ranking, shared with Liverpool, and just behind AC Milan.
Anyway, despite the European rivalry between Bayern and Real: during all those years, both teams never met in the final of the Champions League or European Cup 1. In the semi-final, on the other hand, the clubs played against each other no fewer than eight times, for the first time in 1976, the last time in 2018.
Exactly ten years ago, it was Ancelotti himself who triumphed 4-0 in the semi-final with Real Madrid in Munich. At the time, Pep Guardiola was at the helm of Bayern. In the final, Ancelotti won his third Champions League as a coach.
He nodded during the press conference. “A beautiful memory.”
A few years later he returned to the city to coach Bayern. He was only coach there for more than a year, between 2016 and 2017. Yes, he was crowned national champion, but lost in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. From, indeed, Real Madrid. The score was 6-3 over two matches.
‘I have forgotten Deutsch’
He no longer speaks German: “Ich habe vergessen Deutsch”, he spoke scraggly, after which he continued the press moment in Spanish.
Ancelotti said he had no feelings of revenge after his early dismissal from Bayern in September 2017. “It could have lasted longer, but I have very good memories of the city.”
The 64-year-old coach called current Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel “a tactical genius” and sees similarities between the playing style of both clubs. “We don’t have a super clear identity, we can play in different ways. They can switch very quickly, which suddenly makes them very dangerous.”
Courtois
Ancelotti does not want to reveal anything about his line-up. Yes, Thibaut Courtois is in the selection, after a season of injuries. But the Belgian goalkeeper seems to have to settle for a place on the bench for the time being.
His replacement Andrij Loenin has been in charge at Real for almost the entire season, after winning the competition against Chelsea mercenary Kepa Arrizabalaga.
In defense, French midfielder Aurélien caught Tchouaméni impressively compensated for the absence of the defenders, who had also been injured for a long time Éder Militao and David Alaba. But Militao played his first game of the season against Real Sociedad on Friday after a cruciate ligament injury.
“Tchouaméni will play tomorrow. But in what position? I have no idea.”
Yet Ancelotti says he will not conjure up a tactical variant or complete surprise. “It’s about defending well, avoiding counters and attacking well. In a semi-final everything has to be perfect.”
