Club form over last 5 games:
Madrid: W W D W W
Bayern: D L W L W
Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso return to the Santiago Bernabeu, where they won the Champions League title together back in 2014. However, this will probably not be a happy homecoming for the pair as Real Madrid have a huge advantage over the German giants.
Robinho made a name for himself in Brazil when he rose through the youth ranks at Santos to sign his first professional contract with the club as an 18-year-old. That very same year (2002), before the launch of YouTube or anything else that allowed videos to be shared virally on a global level, there was hearsay of the next Pele having drawn a penalty in the Brazilian championship final with a ‘pedalada’ so mesmerizing that it beggared description.
Arturo Vidal had a pretty good game for Bayern Munich. He scored from a corner and was lively in central midfield. That said, he'll want his penalty back.
Similarly, Javi Martinez will want his sliding challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo back. Vidal's miss opened the door for Real Madrid to tie the game, 1-1, and Martinez's second yellow gave Los Blancos the chance to win.
100. That is how many goals in European competition Cristiano Ronaldo has scored and number 100 was a vital one. Manuel Neuer was making save after save for 10-man Bayern Munich, but the German wall could not deny Cristiano a crucial second away goal for Real Madrid. Bayern substitute Juan Bernat somehow let Cristiano Ronaldo drift and Real Madrid substitute Marco Asensio made him pay for it.
The Bayern Munich-Real Madrid Champions League quarterfinal chess match has seen its first real action, with Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal heading in a corner kick for Bayern.
Arturo Vidal scores his third goal in the past two #UCL games to give Bayern the lead vs Real Madrid! #FCBRMA https://t.co/2pnMdxHiBF
Club form over the last five games
Bayern Munich - W L W W W
Real Madrid - D W W W W
Barcelona's slim chances of winning La Liga took another hit Tuesday when it was announced Neymar's rumored ban for sarcastically clapping at an official after he'd been sent off against Malaga had been made official.
The Brazilian attacker will miss three matches: April 15 against Real Sociedad, April 23 against Real Madrid and April 26 against Osasuna. Barcelona were already in dire need of a win against Real Madrid in El Clasico to keep their La Liga hopes alive, and missing 1/3 of their attacking buzzsaw will make their task that much more difficult.
Barcelona’s form since their historic comeback victory over Paris Saint-Germain has been representative of those two ridiculous legs and Barca’s La Liga campaign on the whole.
Real Madrid's hold on the division once looked a certainty as their unbeaten streak reached new heights, but February and early March saw Barcelona win six straight matches in the league while Real dropped four points to Valencia and Las Palmas.