Is Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich the best collection of central forward talent that a Champions League tie has seen this year? It's certainly close - Arsenal and AC Milan had Robin van Persie and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the same pitch, while in Chelsea vs. Napoli both Didier Drogba and Edinson Cavani shone (albeit not in the same match) - but Real Madrid boast Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain, two superlative talents, while Bayern Munich can call on perhaps the best of the lot: Mario Gomez.
Real Madrid Vs. Bayern Munich, 2012 UEFA Champions League: Is Mario Gomez The Best Centre Forward Around?
Bayern fans would certainly arguing that their Tormachine is the pick of the litter. 25 goals in 28 Bundesliga starts eclipses Robin van Persie's goals per game record with Arsenal in the Premier League (27 in 34), and Gomez's domestic form is bettered by his astonishing run in Europe. With Bayern on the verge of the final, Gomez has scored a scarcely believable twelve goals in nine matches. Take away his crazy haul against Basel and he still ends up with a goal per game - the most recent that late, late winner at the Allianz to put Real on the back foot in this tie.
That goal, of course, was the result of an amusingly poor finish, and it did cover up a series of bad misses earlier in the match. But that’s football. Strikers will inevitably miss more often than they score, and Gomez scores enough that Bayern fans can forgive the sometimes hilarious lapse. Although he’s competing against a field of excellent centre forwards - you can probably add Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao to the list of names above - it’s not totally absurd to suggest that Gomez might be the pick of the bunch.
If he can push Bayern Munich to the Champions League final, there might not be too much argument.
We’ll have pre-game and live game coverage in our Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich StoryStream. For more on the two teams, head over to Real Madrid blog Managing Madrid and Bayern Munich blog Bavarian Football Works.
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