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Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale powered Real Madrid to their first silverware of the season by scoring the winner against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. Reuters

Real Madrid take on defending champions Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday evening.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 7:45pm BST. Live coverage is on Sky Sports1 and Sky Sports 1 HD. Radio commentary of the game will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Overview

Real secured this first silverware of the season after beating Barcelona 2-1 at the Mestalla in the Copa del Rey final last Wednesday. Angel Di Maria opened the scoring in the first half but Marc Bartra restored parity after the half-time break for the Catalan giants.

However, Gareth Bale ensured the trophy ends up at the Spanish capital after finishing off a solo run from his own half.

Carlo Ancelotti's side are also in contention to claim the La Liga title and are currently six points behind leaders and local rivals Atletico Madrid with a game in hand.

They ousted Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinal of the Champions League after the two legs resulted in an aggregate score of 3-2. Real took a comfortable 3-0 lead from the first leg to the Signal Iduna Park but Jurgen Klopp's side gave a tough fight in the second leg to give the La Liga outfit a nervous time.

Meanwhile, Bayern sealed their place in the semi-final of the European competition with an aggregate victory of 4-2 against Manchester United. The reigning Bundesliga champions drew the first leg 1-1 at Old Trafford and won the return leg 3-1 at the Allianz Arena.

Mario Mandzukic
Mario Mandzukic has scored three goals in the last four fixtures in all competitions for Bayern Munich. Reuters

Pep Guardiola's side snapped their three-match winless run in the Bundesliga by beating Eintracht Braunschweig in their previous league fixture on Saturday. Claudio Pizarro and Mario Mandzukic scored one goal each to secure a 2-0 victory for the Bavarians.

Real and Bayern have won the Champions League 14 times between them with the former having emerged triumphant for a record nine-times. Both clubs will be hoping to gain the upper hand in the first leg as they aspire to lift the trophy yet another time in their illustrious history.

What Managers Say

Carlo Ancelotti: "Our game and quality have improved with time. We are in an important semi-final and we are more driven than anyone to win this competition, that is an advantage and a great motivation for us, not an obsession. We are not going to try and stop the opposition from playing, we will try and use our quality to win. Balance, as always is fundamental, and we have to be compact everywhere on the pitch."

Pep Guardiola: "It is very difficult to win the Champions League. The great teams are always here. I'm always very happy to play a Champions League semi-final and come to Madrid with a team like Bayern. We need to play well and get a result. We'll need an outstanding performance. Madrid are always special, with this coach or another, with these players or with others. They are the toughest of opponents who are always lurking in the semi-finals."

Team Form

Real Madrid
Real Madrid players in training ahead of their clash against Champions League semi-final clash against Bayern Munich. Reuters

Real Madrid

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W L W W
  • Last Result: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona

Bayern Munich

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W L W L
  • Last Result: Eintracht Braunschweig 0-2 Bayern Munich

Team News

Real Madrid

  • Injured: Alvaro Arbeloa (knee), Jese Rodriguez (knee), Sami Khedira (match fitness)
  • Doubtful: Cristiano Ronaldo (hamstring), Marcelo (hamstring)
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Lineup: Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrao; Alonso, Modric; Di Maria, Isco, Bale; Benzema

Bayern Munich

  • Injured: Thiago Alcantara (knee), Xherdan Shaqiri (hamstring), Holger Badstuber (knee) Tom Starke (elbow), Diego Contento (foot)
  • Doubtful: N/A
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Lineup: Neuer; Lahm, Martinez, Boateng, Alaba; Robben, Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Ribery; Muller, Mandzukic