Who: Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
What: UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg
Where: Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany
When: Wednesday at 9pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Real Madrid’s season has seemed to teeter on the brink for most of the campaign, but with La Liga all but out of their reach, Los Blancos face their most daunting task yet as they seek to overturn Bayern Munich’s 2-1 aggregate lead in Germany.

Having replaced Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful club manager in history, with Xabi Alonso last season, the Madrid-based club then changed leadership midseason after a string of poor results.

Now Alvaro Arbeloa, promoted internally to interim head coach, must try to topple the runaway German league leaders in their own stadium.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the matchup between the European giants.

What happened in the first leg of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich’s quarterfinal?

The first leg resulted in a 2-1 win for Bayern with Luis Diaz and Harry Kane handing the Germans a shock two-goal advantage with strikes either side of the break.

Kylian Mbappe pulled one back in the 74th minute to keep Los Blancos’ hopes alive in the tie.

Is Kylian Mbappe fit to play for Real Madrid in Munich?

Mbappe sustained an injury to his face in training before the match and is a slight doubt.

Given the importance of the encounter, it would be a huge shock were the French forward not patched up for the game.

Mbappe is the leading scorer in the Champions League this season with 14 goals and is only three shy of equalling the competition’s record for the most in a single campaign.

What happened in Real Madrid’s last match?

Real were held to a 1-1 home draw by Girona on Friday, which has surely crushed any remaining hopes of toppling Barcelona in the La Liga title race.

Barca beat Espanyol 4-1 in their cross-city derby on Saturday to move nine points clear at the top with only seven games to play.

What happened in Bayern Munich’s last match?

Bayern were 5-0 winners in the Bundesliga at St Pauli on Saturday, extending their lead to 12 points at the top of the table.

Borussia Dortmund, their nearest rivals, were beaten 1-0 at home by Bayer Leverkusen on the same day.

Only five games remain in the German league season.

When did Real Madrid last beat Bayern Munich?

Real beat Bayern 2-1 in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal clash at Bernabeu Stadium in 2024. It saw the Spaniards progress 4-3 on aggregate.

Two Vinicius Jr goals were scored either side of Leroy Sane and Kane goals in the first leg while Joselu scored a brace in the 88th and 90th minutes of the match in Madrid to send his side through after Alphonso Davies gave Bayern the lead.

When did Real Madrid last win at Bayern Munich?

Real had a remarkable run of three consecutive wins in Munich, their first in the Germans’ home stadium, from 2014 to 2018.

The first two games in the run saw Cristiano Ronaldo bag a brace on both occasions.

The first and last of those matchups were in semifinals.

What is Real Madrid’s overall record at Bayern Munich?

They are only the three wins Real have managed in 14 attempts in Munich with the home side winning nine of the games.

When did Real Madrid and Bayern Munich first meet?

The first match between the clubs came in 1976 in the knockout stages of that season’s competition – then known as the European Cup.

A 1-1 draw was shared in the first leg in the Spanish capital before Bayern claimed the tie with a 2-1 win in Munich.

Stat attack – Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

The fixture between the German and Spanish giants is the most played between all clubs in the history of the Champions League (and before it the European Cup).

Sitting behind the 29 meetings between them are the matchups between Real and Juventus with the Spaniards and the Italians pitted together on 21 occasions.

Barcelona against Chelsea and Barcelona against AC Milan sit third and fourth on the list of most played games by clubs at European football’s top table.

How many times have Real Madrid won the Champions League?

Real have won the Champions League on 14 occasions, the record in the competition. The first was in 1956 and the latest was in 2022.

How many times have Bayern Munich won the Champions League?

Bayern are six-time winners of the competition, having first lifted the trophy in 1974 and their latest win coming in 2020.

Perhaps a little cruelly, their most famous final – or infamous if you’re a Bayern fan – came in 1999 when Manchester United scored twice in the final few minutes to win the match 2-1.

Head-to-head

This will be the 29th meeting between the sides with Real winning 13 of the matches and Bayern emerging victorious on 12 occasions.

Bayern Munich team news

Winger Lennart Karl and goalkeeper Sven Ulreich are both out with injuries, but Kane is fully expected to return after sitting out Saturday’s league match.

The England striker reported “a few reactions” after the first leg in Madrid, but they are not expected to keep him out of the return match.

Serge Gnabry has a minor knee problem, but he too is expected to be available.

Predicted Bayern Munich lineup

Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanisic; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Gnabry, Diaz; Kane

Real Madrid team news

Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo remain Real’s two biggest names on the sidelines through injury, but Los Blancos will also be without the services of Aurelien Tchouameni, who picked up his third yellow card of the competition in the first leg.

The most pressing concern for Real is just how big a problem is the facial injury sustained by Mbappe in training.

Predicted Real Madrid lineup

Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Guler; Mbappe, Vinicius Jr