Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, 2014 UEFA Champions League: Advantage to Los Merengues

Bayern followed Pep Guardiola’s script insofar as they dominated possession throughout the first half, though the Catalan coach would’ve been rather less impressed by their chance creation, or lack thereof. Real Madrid defended with two compact banks of four from the outset, restricting their Bavarian visitors to a few half-chances in the first 45 minutes.

It was the first of three almost identical chances that Real created by taking advantage of the defensive weakness of Bayern’s right-back Rafinha, though fortunately for the visitors, only Benzema had brought his shooting boots. Both Ronaldo and Ángel di María squandered their chances from pointblank range, with Bayern lucky to just be a goal down at the break.

Want to get into the Bernabeu? How about just near it?

Good luck with that.

However, there are some reports that Martínez has stomach problems, possibly explaining the choice. Elsewhere, there are no selection shocks, with Mario Mandžukić leading the attack.

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

Bayern Munich (4-1-4-1): Manuel Neuer; David Alaba, Dante, Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm; Javi Martínez; Franck Ribéry, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben; Mario Mandžukić.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Bayern’s right-back - Philipp Lahm is probably the world’s best right-back, but that hasn’t stopped Guardiola converting him into a deep-lying midfielder and playing the inferior Rafinha in defence instead. Whether the Catalan coach will switch things back on Wednesday remains to be seen, though Bayern fans would surely feel a lot more secure if Ronaldo is up against Lahm rather than his Brazilian teammate. With Ronaldo able to win a game almost single-handedly, it’s going to be a key matchup.