Leon Goretzka previews ‘clash of giants’ with Real Madrid

Leon Goretzka has made 71 appearances in the Champions League. The 31-year-old always brings his experience to bear for Bayern whenever he’s needed. He will now do the same in the hotly anticipated quarter-final matches against Real Madrid. Goretzka, who won the Champions League with the Munich side in 2020, has taken to the pitch against Los Blancos three times in Europe’s top club competition. In an interview ahead of April’s blockbuster tie, he reveals what he has learnt from those matches, when he received a standing ovation at the Bernabéu, and which away fixture in Madrid was a “nightmare” for him.

Goretzka arrived looking relaxed for his interview with fcbayern.com and seemed at ease. There was just one week to go until the pivotal clash with Real. It will be Goretzka’s final matches with Bayern against the Spanish side, as he will leave Munich in the summer after eight years. “In the winter, I made a conscious decision to stay here until the summer. I feel that anything really is possible this season,” Goretzka said. Bayern are in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup, have a big lead in the Bundesliga, and are now aiming to secure a place in the Champions League semi-finals when they face Madrid.

But what is the secret behind Bayern’s success this season? “The right players are in the right place, with the right coach, at the right club. I‘m absolutely convinced that we can win everything this year – even though I know how difficult that is. But we’ll give it a try,” Goretzka stated. Yes, anything is possible.

There was plenty at stake for the then 20-year-old Goretzka in March 2015 when he made his first appearance at the Bernabéu with Schalke. The Royal Blues won 4-3 against the overwhelming favourites and defending champions in the second leg of the round of 16. “Back then with Schalke, we were just one goal short of going through. Benedikt Höwedes had a huge chance in stoppage time. That was the match in which Leroy Sané really made his mark for the first time. Although it didn’t quite work out, it’s a very fond memory because we received a standing ovation from the Bernabéu at the end,” Goretzka recalled.

In addition to home matches against Real Madrid with Schalke and Bayern, Goretzka has faced Los Blancos in Madrid once more, in what the midfielder called the “nightmare match”. “Unfortunately, under Thomas Tuchel, we had that match when we thought we were already in the final. Sadly, it wasn’t enough in the end.” Goretzka spent 90 minutes on the bench. The Reds had led 1-0 into the closing moments following a great goal from Alphonso Davies. An away win would have been enough to reach the final following the 2-2 draw in the first leg, but substitute Joselu scored twice in the closing minutes to knock Bayern out of the competition. The Munich side now head to the Bernabéu again on Tuesday looking to be the ones celebrating two years on from their last-minute elimination.

“We haven’t had much success against Real recently. We’d very much like to turn around the statistics from recent years,” Goretzka added. Bayern have failed to win any of their last eight Champions League matches against the 15-time European champions – even though, apart from the 4-0 defeat in the 2014 semi-final home leg, every single game was extremely close. “To a German, Real Madrid always sounds like the Champions League. They are the champions in this competition and have been the dominant team over the past 10 to 15 years. These are two giants of European football going head to head,” Goretzka enthuses.

The Madrid giants have had their ups and downs this season. As a result, former player Álvaro Arbeloa took over as coach in January, replacing Xabi Alonso, the ex-Madrid and Munich midfield maestro. In La Liga, Real are battling it out with their long-standing rivals Barcelona for the title, but currently sit in second place. In the Champions League’s league stage, Los Blancos dropped out of the top eight on the final matchday and were therefore forced to contest the play-offs against Benfica, progressing 3-1 on aggregate. In a period of uncertainty – with key players such as Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham sidelined – Vinicius Jr. and his teammates demonstrated their class to oust Premier League giants Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate in the round of 16. Top scorer Mbappé and Bellingham are now fit to face Bayern.

“They’re a world-class side with outstanding individual quality on the pitch. They’ve had some very, very good – but also some bad – moments this season. At the moment, you never really know what you’ll get from them,” Goretzka explained in analysis. “Experience tells us that they usually manage to pull something off in the Champions League. But we’ll be prepared for that.” Bayern will need to deliver a top performance twice against Rea. And the enthusiasm, confidence and focus that Goretzka already exuded a week ahead of the European showdown.

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