Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid LIVE: Champions League team news, line-ups and more ahead of semi-final tonight

The Uruguayan midfield also spoke to the media ahead of tonight’s semi-final and insisted his side remain as hungry as ever as they look to capture a famous double this season.

“We’re excited. It’s the first time that I play against this team in the competition. I have faith and I’m eager to play. I’m happy for all I’m experiencing with this team. You have to appreciate every moment defending these colours and this jersey. Winning this competition is so valuable and it’s a beautiful thing,” he said.

“I have absolute confidence in my team. We have to respect our opposition and the club we’re up against. We have real faith in the players here. The defenders, the midfielders and forwards. We’re excited, hungry to make the final and we’ll fight to do just that.”

Carlo Ancelotti previews the semi-final further, speaking to TNT Sports:

Ancelotti is the most successful coach in the competition’s history with five victories, while Real Madrid are eyeing up a record-extending 15th title.

“Real Madrid are never underrated in this competition. Everyone knows what we can do. To be honest, we feel hugely respected by everyone in this competition,” the Italian said on Monday.

“We are confident but we have great respect for this team. They haven’t had the best season in the Bundesliga but they played a very impressive tie against Arsenal. They were very good in both games. We have to look at that, Arsenal are a very strong side in Europe and they delivered two superb displays.”

Bayern’s Serge Gnabry scored in the quarter-final first leg against Arsenal but has since missed his last four games with injury. The 28-year-old, though, is due to return from injury tonight and Tuchel is confident that the attacker will mark his return in style.

“Serge Gnabry will score tomorrow. It will happen. I don’t know how I know, but it will happen,” he said.

Only time will tell with that prediction…

Speaking ahead of tonight’s match, the Bayern boss was full of optimism.

“We are ready, we have a lot of confidence. It was important to beat Arsenal. Now the next step is against Real Madrid. We want to be competitive and reach Wembley. We have to focus on tomorrow and be well prepared,” Tuchel said in the pre-match press conference.

“We need an absolutely top atmosphere. It was already great against Arsenal – it has to be even better now. We also need the spectators to support us, even in moments when it’s more difficult.

“We need maximum support to get through phases in which we have to suffer. Together with the spectators, we need to create an atmosphere that gives us an advantage.”

Real Madrid, meanwhile, reached yet another Champions League semi-final after their dramatic penalty-shootout win against defending champions Manchester City.

Both sides met in the tournament’s knockout stages for a third successive season but it was Carlo Ancelotti’s side that prevailed to deny City a chance at a famous double treble.

Here’s a recap of the wild second leg in Manchester:

The German giants came through their quarter-final against Arsenal courtesy of a 1-0 home win in the second leg. After a 2-2 draw at the Emirates, it was Joshua Kimmich’s second-half strike and the experience of Thomas Tuchel’s men that ultimately prevailed against the Gunners at the Allianz Arena.

Here’s a recap of the second leg:

It was a nine-year low, leaving Bayern Munich destined to plummet to depths they had not experienced at the end of a season for 12 years. When Thomas Tuchel’s departure was announced, they had just lost three consecutive games, for the first time since 2015. Bundesliga losses to Bayer Leverkusen and Heidenheim, one emphatic against the league leaders, the other embarrassing against relative minnows, rendered it a formality that, for the first time since 2012, Bayern would not be champions. Sandwiched by them the other setback in a disastrous eight days was 1-0 to Lazio. To compound a wretched season, Bayern risked missing out of the Champions League quarter-finals, something they had only done once since 2011.

Tuchel, Bayern said in February, would stay until the end of the season. The temptation was to wonder if he would make it that far. Now an alternative exit feels feasible. Instead of becoming another Jurgen Klinsmann, a big name to flounder amid the unique pressures of Sabener Strasse, Tuchel may yet emulate Jupp Heynckes, conquering Europe in his final act.

Richard Jolly takes a look at the confusing last season of Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel:

As Harry Kane already knows, Jude Bellingham isn’t shy about telling people what he thinks. That isn’t necessarily to berate them, either. The 20-year-old has taken to paternalistically encouraging teammates as if he is a senior professional… like, for example, Harry Kane. In most cases, this would infuriate more established players. In Bellingham’s case, it is just part of the package. He ‘walks the walk’, as teammates put it. Kane has even recognised this with England, where his own approach is quieter and more about leadership by example.

The different paths now converge at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday and then the Bernabeu next Wednesday, to see which of England’s two most influential players will get to play at Wembley for the club season’s crowning game. The fact both are seen as potentially making Euro 2024 their tournament, given their own connections with Germany, only offers another layer. This is the highest goalscorer in England’s history, up against the national team’s future, both playing for the present.

Miguel Delaney takes a look at the two English stars of tonight’s semi-final:

Two giants of European football collide in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash as Bayern Munich host Real Madrid at Allianz Arena on Tuesday (8pm, TNT Sports 1).

Carlo Ancelotti’s men are closing in on the LaLiga crown. The season is heading towards a very exciting climax for Los Blancos, although they’re underdogs with football betting sites to start the semi-final tie with a win on the road.