Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich Prediction - Will Guardiola Grab His Tenth Victory Against Real Madrid?

Next Wednesday, Real Madrid will face the already coronated Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich at the mythical Santiago Bernabéu for the semi-finals first leg of the UEFA Champions League on what will certainly be a very thrilling match.

Los Blancos defeated Barcelona 2-1 last week on the Copa del Rey final at Mestalla, thanks to a fantastic goal from Gareth Bale. The Welshman seemed as if he was channelling Diego Maradona, as he ran triumphantly into the net guarded by a hopeless Pinto to score Real Madrid’s winning goal duting the second half.

Real Madrid won their 19th Copa del Rey and gained some extra motivation for the match against Bayern Munich, for which they don’t know yet if they will be able to count on their main star, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still recovering from the knee injury that struck him recently. After being defeated by Borussia Dortmund at Westfalenstadion two weeks ago, Los Blancos managed to bounce back with two consecutive wins on different competitions and they will certainly now look to achieve a precious home advantage against the German side on the semi-finals first leg at Santiago Bernabéu.

For next Wednesday’s match, Carlo Ancelotti will still not be able to count on Arbeloa, Sami Khedira, and Jesé Rodríguez, who are still recovering from their long term injuries, and there are still some doubts concerning the physical condition of Ronaldo and the Brazilian left back Marcelo,who might also miss the match.

As for Bayern Munich, their visit to Bernabéu probably does not come at the best of times. The Bavarian side suffered two consecutive defeats at Bundesliga (one of them considerably embarrassing - 3-0 at home against Borussia Dortmund), as they seem to have hit the brakes on their performance a little precociously.

Guardiola’s side experienced some unexpected difficulties to overcome a fragile and inconsistent Manchester United on the last round and their performances at the UEFA Champions League this season were far from being those vintage displays they put up at the Bundesliga during the current campaign.

For next Wednesday's clash at Bernabéu, the Spanish manager will certainly not be able to count on the midfielders Thiago Alcântara and Xherdan Shaqiri, on the German defender Diego Contento and on the team’s backup goalkeeper Lukas Raeder, all sidelined due to injury.

The last time both teams measured forces at Santiago Bernabéu, back in April of 2012 and also on the Champions League semi-finals, Los Blancos won 2-1 with two goals from the inevitable Cristiano Ronaldo. The match went to penalties, due to the first leg result at Allianz Arena, and the German side granted their place in the final.

Real Madrid

W-6 L-1 D-1

Recent Form - WWWWWL

Bayern Munich

W-7 L-1 D-2

Recent Form - LWDDW

Possible Line-ups

Real Madrid  (4-2-3-1) – Casillas - Carvajal - Pepe - Sergio Ramos - Coentrão - Modric - Xabi Alonso - Bale - Di Maria - Ronaldo - Benzema

Bayern Munich (4-1-4-1) – Neuer, Rafinha, Dante, Javi Martinez, Boateng, Alaba, Lahm, Kroos, Schweinsteiger, Ribéry, Robben, Müller

Prediction: Real Madrid 1 Bayern Munich 1