Five Things Real Madrid Must Do Differently to Beat Bayern Munich

Madrid need to up their game in Munich.

Real Madrid have more than a fighting chance despite first-leg defeat. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

Real Madrid go to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday with the facts very clearly laid out in front of them: fail to win and the season is all but over.

With Barcelona now nine points clear in La Liga with seven games to play, Madrid’s only real hope of avoiding a first trophy-free campaign since 2021 hinges on their ability to overturn a 2–1 deficit away at Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg.

The mission is complicated by the unavoidable fact that Bayern might just be the best team in the world right now. Vincent Kompany’s ludicrously free-scoring side are unbeaten at home in Europe, while they sit 12 points clear in the Bundesliga, where they continue to break all kinds of records on a near weekly basis.

However, while Álvaro Arbeloa’s men felt the full attacking brunt of Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Luis Díaz et al. at the Bernabéu, there is still cause for hope and a feeling that if anyone can stop this Bayern team, it is Real Madrid.

If they are to mastermind a European night for the ages, they will have to adapt their approach in Bavaria.

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1. Change at Left Back

Michael Olise (right) toyed with Álvaro Carreras all night. | Manu Reino/DeFodi Images/DeFodi/Getty Images

Of all the players who didn’t perform up to standard in the first leg (and there were a few), Álvaro Carreras was the standout. The left back appeared shell-shocked by Olise’s pace and trickery and was tormented all night by the ex-Crystal Palace winger.

Fran García and Ferland Mendy were both given minutes in the La Liga fixtures against Girona on Friday, presumably with a view to one starting on Wednesday night.

García impressed in the round of 16 win over Manchester City, while Mendy—when fit—is probably Madrid’s best defender of the available options.

Using the Frenchman to lock down Olise could prove a key component to a good result in Munich.

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2. Put the Miles in

Valverde covered the most ground for Madrid against Bayern with just over 10km. | Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images

During the first leg match in Madrid, Bayern covered 110.9 kilometers (69 miles), compared to Real Madrid's 101.9 (63 miles).

While running stats alone are not always indicative of a team’s output, it is striking that, as noted by MARCA, Madrid covered well over 113 kilometeres (70 miles) in both legs of the last 16 victory over Manchester City.

With attack the only option in Munich, Madrid will need to be prepared to push themselves to the limit against a notoriously hardworking opponent.

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3. Efficiency in Attack

Kylian Mbappé needs to be more efficient. | Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

Across their last three games, Madrid have taken 57 shots and scored just three goals. That level of efficiency simply won’t do in Germany.

Ominously for Los Blancos, Bayern have scored in every home game they have played this season and have topped over 100 goals in the Bundesliga.

If Arbeloa’s men are to progress it will be because they outgunned Munich on the night, not by sitting back, playing it cautiously and hoping for a 1–0 on the break.

Champions League top scorer Mbappé impressed in the first leg, but might’ve netted more than once on the night, registering six shots. He—along with Vinícius Jr and Jude Bellingham—will need to go up a gear for the return leg where every missed chance could come back to haunt Madrid.

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4. Target Upamecano

Dayot Upamecano might be Bayern’s weak link. | EyesWideOpen/Getty Images

Bayern’s defence is strong, but not impregnable.

Despite their imperious form and goalscoring prowess, Kompany’s side have kept just two clean sheets in the Champions League this season—both times against Belgian opposition, in the form of Union St. Gilloise and Club Brugge.

Madrid were able to carve out opportunity after opportunity at the Bernabéu and could look to target center back Dayot Upamecano for further joy in Munich.

Mbappé’s 27-year-old’s international teammate—who was sent off against Brazil in the last international break—is much improved in recent months, but still has the capacity to drop the occasional error.

The Frenchman was caught out badly in the first leg to leave Vinícius one-on-one with Manuel Neuer, for a chance the Brazilian ought to have scored.

If Upamecano can be isolated regularly, it may yield success for Los Blancos.

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5. Harness the Spirit of the Past

Joselu (left) played hero for Real Madrid in 2024 | Diego Souto/Getty Images

At least for the first hour of the quarterfinal first leg, Madrid did not play like a team who believed they would win.

The introduction of Jude Bellingham proved the catalyst for a rallying final 30 minutes, as Mbappé’s goal set up the return leg nicely.

Going into the clash in Munich, Madrid need their leaders to come to the fore with the spirit of inevitability that has so often possessed the club on big European nights—often regardless of form or logic.

Madrid famously overcame a quarterfinal first-leg deficit to Wolfsburg in the 2015–2016 season, while they have seen off Bayern in knockout fixtures four times in the last 15 years—most notably with Joselu’s improbable late show two years ago.

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