All aboard for Madrid! FC Bayern departed Munich Airport at 11:00 on Easter Monday morning as they head to the Spanish capital, where Carlo Ancelotti’s side will meet Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night (20:45 CEST). FCB must overturn a 2-1 defeat from the first leg to progress to the semi-finals.
It was pleasing to see that among the group of 22 players were Javi Martínez, who is suspended for the match but is travelling to support his teammates, as well as Jérôme Boateng, Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski who have all been missing through injury lately. “The medical staff have done a fantastic job in the last few days,” declared chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge before take-off. The three players will face a final fitness test in Madrid this evening to determine whether they can play.
“We’ll battle”
“We’ll have to wait and see, but we’re optimistic,” added the 61 year-old. Rummenigge is looking forward to an “interesting game” and believes his side are still in the tie. “Real Madrid are heavy favourites after the first leg, but it’s only half-time in this quarter-final.” The “great character of the team” and the fact that Bayern have always shown “outstanding desire” in these types of games also give him cause for optimism.
Rummenigge thinks Bayern must be “committed and brave, but mustn’t get impatient ” if they’re to overturn the deficit. Looking at the quality of the Champions League holders, though, it is difficult to say “whether we can turn it around”. FCB fans can be sure of one thing: “We’ll battle and throw everything we have at them. After all, those who fight can lose, but those who don’t fight have already lost.”
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