Bayern’s Bundesliga XI gives huge clues about Madrid second leg

At some point, it looked like Real Madrid were going to be lucky if they wanted to escape their home stadium with just a two-goal deficit against Bayern Munich. The ball was flowing like water, the players in red zipping like dragonflies, and Madrid scrambling for survival without a hope in sight of grabbing onto any passing driftwood that would keep them afloat.

But despite not participating in LaLiga’s ‘Retro Week’, Real Madrid did what they used to, what we thought this team did no more: they found a way in the Champions League. There’s no Modric, no Kroos, no Cristiano, no Marcelo, no Ramos, but there’s the white shirt and the glimmer of the stars on the ball. So they took their medicine and battled through it.

A 1-2 scoreline isn’t the best outcome and they didn’t rally back to win in the last minute, but it’s that hope we used to see. Then, for another added retro bonus, they went and dropped points in the following LaLiga game.

Girona took a point at the Bernabéu, leaving Barcelona’s lead almost unassailable in the domestic division,, and now the focus is firmly on Europe.

The same goes for Bayern. Manager Vincent Kompany rotated his side for their Bundesliga game against St Pauli, with both Harry Kane and Luis Díaz, the scorers in midweek, on the bench.

He also changed his centre-back partnership, leaving Tah and Upamecano out, as well as Stanisic on the left. In the middle of midfield, Pavlovic was also given a rest, with one eye on Madrid’s visit next week.

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