Pep Guardiola returns to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, and he'll be hoping to produce a positive result like he did in his last trip to the stadium in the Champions League semifinals. Pep last faced Real Madrid in this competition in 2011, when his Barcelona team prevailed as part of an unprecedented four-Clásico series that saw Madrid lift the Copa del Rey, but Barcelona win their league match and progress in this competition.
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
It’s time for the Bernabeu’s biggest nemesis to return.
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His team was favored to advance then and his current Bayern Munich team is favored to advance now. Madrid has slipped a bit in La Liga recently while dealing with injuries, and they were far from impressive in their quarterfinal second leg against Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid could potentially be extremely shorthanded in attack. Jese is already out for the season, while Gareth Bale is not expected to play due to a bout of the flu. Cristiano Ronaldo is on his way back from injury and will have a late fitness test to determine whether or not he's able to play. With Bale likely out, don't expect Madrid to be particularly cautious with his fitness for this match.
Bayern rested a couple of their biggest stars over the weekend due to slight problems, but aren't expected to be missing either of them. Manuel Neuer has a calf problem and David Alaba is ill, but both are expected to start at the Bernabeu. Thiago and Xherdan Shaqiri are both out.
With Thiago missing, the biggest question surrounding Bayern’s team continues to be whether or not captain Philipp Lahm will play in midfield. He refused to reveal his position at his press conference on Tuesday, claiming that Guardiola has not told him the team’s formation.
Match date/time: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
TV: FOX Sports 1 (U.S.), Sky Sports 1 (U.K.), Sportsnet World and regional (Canada), Sky Sport 1 (Germany), C+ (Spain)
Online: FOX Sports Go (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.), Sportsnet World Online (Canada), Sky Go (Germany)
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