The most decorated clubs in Spanish and German soccer meet again in the latter stages of the Champions League, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich first locking horns at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night.
This fixture is the most common in major European competition history, with the upcoming quarterfinal first leg being the 29th meeting between these two sides.
An emphatic 3–0 victory over Manchester City on home soil set up Madrid’s progression into the last eight, eventually cruising through as 5–1 aggregate winners. Bayern were even more ruthless, tearing Atalanta apart in their round of 16 tie. The Bundesliga leaders triumphed as 10–2 aggregate winners, having won 6–1 in Bergamo.
They’re set to ease to yet another league title, with Saturday’s dramatic comeback victory at Freiburg ensuring Vincent Kompany’s side maintained their nine-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund with six games to go.
Madrid, meanwhile, will likely have to conquer the continent for a 16th time to ensure they end the 2025–26 season with silverware. A 2–1 defeat to Mallorca was followed by Barcelona’s victory at Atlético Madrid, meaning the Blaugrana are seven points clear at the summit.
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich Score Prediction
Madrid Find a Way
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are preparing for their 22nd and 24th appearances in the Champions League quarterfinals, respectively, with both harboring hopes of triumphing in Budapest next month.
Madrid are flawed, but cannot be written off under the lights on the big stage. Their ability to conjure moments from very little has allowed them to dominate this competition in recent years, with opponents consistently succumbing to Los Blancos’ mystique.
Their systematic and collective issues will doubtless be exploited by a cohesive juggernaut in Bayern, who are as rampant as they’ve been since their all-conquering 2019–20 campaign led by Hansi Flick.
The visitors may be an irresistible force, but encounters with Madrid have seldom been fruitful for the Rekordmeister in recent years.
- Head-to-Head Record: Real Madrid have been dominant in this fixture. The perennial European champions are unbeaten in their nine previous meetings against Bayern Munich, winning seven. Bayern’s last victory over Madrid inside 90 minutes came in the first leg of their semifinal tie in 2012.
- Madrid’s Health: Harry Kane’s likely return is, of course, a huge boost for the visitors, but Madrid have also been buoyed on the injury front. Jude Bellingham and Éder Militão strengthen the hosts drastically, and Vinicius Junior, who dazzled in this fixture two seasons ago, should benefit from having the weekend off.
- Unstoppable Mbappé: While Kane could come into the first leg a little rusty, his leading challenger for the European Golden Shoe was in fine fettle over the international break, and was only denied by an outstanding Leo Román showing on Saturday. Mbappé’s been inevitable in the Champions League this season, leading the scoring charts with 13 goals.
Prediction: Real Madrid 2–1 Bayern Munich
Arbeloa’s decision to rest Vincius Junior at the weekend after he’d played twice for Brazil didn’t pay off, but at least the Real Madrid star should be fresh for Tuesday’s first leg.
Madrid also welcomed Éder Militão back from another lengthy injury layoff, and the Brazilian celebrated his return by scoring the equalizing header at Mallorca that ultimately counted for nothing.
Militão could partner Dean Huijsen here, and Jude Bellingham is also expected to start in an advanced midfield role.
Thibaut Courtois misses out again due to a thigh issue, while Rodrygo is a long-term absentee due to a knee injury. Ferland Mendy was only partially involved in training on Monday and is unlikely to be involved.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Militão, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouaméni; Güler, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappé.
Bayern Munich are as healthy as they’ve been all season at a critical juncture, with their entire first team squad apart from reserve goalkeeper Sven Ulreich involved in training on Monday.
Harry Kane missed Bayern’s previous Bundesliga outing with an ankle injury, but is set to make his return in the Spanish capital.
There should be widespread changes from the starting lineup that initially struggled at Freiburg, with the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Michael Olise, Alphonso Davies and Aleksandar Pavlović poised to come back into Kompany’s XI on Tuesday.
Serge Gnabry should get the nod over Jamal Musiala in the No. 10 role, while Konrad Laimer is battling Josip Stanišić for the starting berth at rightback. Tom Bischof staked his claim for a start by scoring twice on Saturday, but will likely feature off the bench.
Bayern Munich predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlović; Olise, Gnabry, DÃaz; Kane.
What Time Does Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich Kick Off?
- Location: Madrid, Spain
- Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu
- Date: Tuesday, April 7
- Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. BST
- Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
- VAR: Jarred Gillett (ENG)
How to Watch Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich on TV, Live Stream
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Country |
TV Channel/Live Strean |
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United States |
Paramount+, TUDN USA, DAZN USA, Univision, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App, ViX |
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United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 1, HBO Max |
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Canada |
DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada |
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Mexico |
TNT Sports, Max Mexico |
