One of the great European rivalries resumes when Real Madrid host Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night for the first leg of their 2025-26 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie.
The most-played fixture in UEFA competition’s history (this will be their 29th encounter) ought to be a cracker with much at stake for both sides.
Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa was in no doubt of the task ahead of him, telling UEFA.com: “Bayern are one of the most in-form teams in Europe with the way they play football and the level they have. As we always say: if you want to be European champions, you have to beat the best.”
And the feeling was mutual for Bayern boss Vincent Kompany, who told UEFA.com: “Every club would live for these games. I think we have a good level of respect for Real Madrid; we understand what type of club it is. Of course, you have to bring your own confidence. As a neutral, I’d watch it.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the match.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Tuesday on HBO Max and Prime Video in the UK, Paramount+ in the U.S., SonyLiv in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live coverage here.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Tuesday, April 7 at 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET; 12:30 a.m. IST and 5 a.m. AEST
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
VAR: Jarred Gillett (England)
Injury News
Real Madrid
Thibault Courtois, GK: OUT, thigh
Ferland Mendy, D: DOUBT (back in training)
Dani Ceballos, M: DOUBT, thigh
Rodrygo, F: OUT, knee
Bayern Munich
Sven Ulreich, GK: OUT, muscle
Harry Kane, F: DOUBT, ankle
Talking Points
Kylian Mbappé vs Harry Kane
13 goals vs 10 goals in the Champions League (number one and number two in the UCL golden boot race). 23 goals vs 31 goals in their respective leagues (number two and number one in the European golden shoe race). Kylian Mbappé vs Harry Kane has been some tribute to the goalscoring overlords this season and they now face each other with more than a point to prove.
Both are desperate to win the Champions League; both are desperate to win the golden boot that whoever advances will be favorite for; both are desperate for the kind of glory that comes with dominating a big game… and both are a slight doubt for this game.
Mbappé less so, considering he started on the weekend vs Mallorca — even if he didn’t look 100% — but Kane has missed the last two Bayern games with an ankle niggle. From a neutral point of view, the hope remains that Mbappé vs Kane will be the headline of this showpiece encounter.
Fede Valverde is key
Having said that, the actual headlines may well be determined by a man who is at home anywhere on the pitch. Federico Valverde is the Real Madrid fan personified on the pitch: big game player, clutch when it matters, comes up with goals, covers an entire flank on his own, runs and runs and runs… and as he showed against Manchester City, when he turns up, there’s very little anyone can do to stop him. Up against an all-action Bayern team, his energy and driving force will be pivotal for the home side.
Old Liverpool mates Díaz vs Alexander-Arnold
And that’s not least because of what could transpire behind him. Trent Alexander-Arnold will be up against former Liverpool teammate Luis Díaz, and if the Colombian continues his recent form then he will not find it an easy task.
Díaz has excelled since joining Bayern this season, scoring 22 goals in all competitions (four in the UCL) and proving 18 assists to boot (three in the UCL). His pace, directness and willingness to take on a fullback has added a new dimension to the Bayern attack down the left, and he will take some stopping come Tuesday night.
Valverde was crucial in helping Alexander-Arnold stop Jérémy Doku over two legs in the previous round, and it will be much the same in this quarterfinal.
Contrasting league results will add extra fuel
Bayern pulled off an absolute stunner this weekend, scoring three times past the 80 minute mark to pull off a 3-2 comeback win away at Freiburg. That included a 99th-minute winner from wunderkind Lennart Karl and he — and his Bayern teammates — will be raring to go after that adrenaline-boosting win. Their lead atop the Bundesliga remains nine points, and the confidence boost that comes from winning despite playing poorly will be crucial.
On the other hand, Madrid come into this game after conceding an injury-time winner to Mallorca, the kind of result that can deflate the best teams. They then saw Barcelona eke out a win against Atlético Madrid that saw Barça go seven points ahead of them in the league and Álvaro Arbeloa already knows how important the Champions League is going to be in his attempt to ‘salvage’ the season.
For a club obsessed with the European Cup, their domestic travails merely add more thrust and desperation… and that’s exactly the kind of Madrid team others hate facing in this competition. Especially at the Bernabeu, where that fabled aura can win the home side matches before a ball is even kicked.
What do the numbers say?
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No two teams have met as often in UEFA competition as Real Madrid and Bayern, with the sides facing each other 28 times — all in the European Cup/Champions League. The Spanish side lead the head-to-head with 13 wins to Bayern’s 11, along with four draws.
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Madrid’s record in European Cup quarterfinals is W33 L7. This a stage they own — in fact, last season’s defeat by Arsenal ended a run of 12 straight wins at this stage.
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Madrid have won 12 of their last 14 Champions League knockout ties. They have also lost only one of their last 25 UEFA home matches against German teams (W19 D5).
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In contrast, Bayern have lost four of their last five Champions League quarterfinal ties.
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Madrid have won the last four UEFA two-legged ties between the sides, most recently a 4-3 aggregate victory in the 2023-24 Champions League semifinals. They have also won all of the three previous European Cup/Champions League quarterfinal ties between the clubs (1987-88, 2001-02 and 2016-17).
