Champions League: Is belief enough to help Real Madrid turn the tide?

Former players Marcelo (Real Madrid) and Lothar Matthaus (Bayern Munich) both believe that their old team can turn the situation around in the disadvantageous situation before the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. But for now, that is just belief...

REAL - A REUNION: ALL EYES WILL BE ON V INICIUS AND B ELLINGHAM

On the way to the 2022 Champions League title, Real Madrid were trailing Man.City 5-3 until the second leg of the semi-final entered the 90th minute. But Rodrygo scored 2 goals in just 2 minutes to send the match into extra time, then Karim Benzema scored the decisive goal in the 95th minute and Real turned the situation around in a spectacular way!

Marcelo (former Real player) said about his old team: "Madrid is always Real. We always know how to get back up. I always believe in this ability. In addition to the so-called DNA, we also know how to work hard and give our all. The audience at Bernabeu always strongly supports us. We were taught how to play and never give up. It has always been like that for many years."

The problem is that the scoreline is too big: 3 goals to Arsenal before the second leg. If Real can still turn the situation around and reach the semi-finals, this will surely be a match that will forever be remembered in history.

Real Madrid (left cover) has confidence to come back against Arsenal

Photo: Reuters

While Arsenal have always placed great value on teamwork, Real are a team full of superstars who can always explode on their own. In high-level matches, when both sides have shown their cards to each other, the individual value of superstars can become the decisive difference. This is the right situation for Real fans to rely on Jude Bellingham or Vinicius Junior.

Scoring an early goal, or two goals in a row, would see Real revive in this match. This is certainly a difficult task, but not impossible. On the other hand, Real have many stars capable of doing things on their own, so it is not easy for Arsenal to block them.

INTERNATIONAL - BY AYERN: IS IT AS EASY AS M ATTHAUS MAKES IT?

If Marcelo once played for Real Madrid and is qualified to talk about his belief in this team, then former player Lothar Matthaus played for both Inter and Bayern Munich. And if Marcelo just stopped at belief, Matthaus went further. He affirmed: Bayern will win right on Inter's field to reach the semi-finals!

Matthaus commented: "San Siro is a strong source of support for Inter, but Bayern always have a special inspiration when playing in front of the cheers of the opposing audience. In the first leg, Bayern showed better. They just did not take advantage of the opportunities. Bayern could have leveled the gap by 1 goal at any time." He predicted that Kane would regain his scoring touch, and Bayern would win 3-1 after 2 extra periods!

In terms of pure results, Inter - Bayern is the most balanced quarter-final pair before the second leg, with Inter only leading by 1 goal. Since UEFA has removed the "away goals" rule, Inter's 2-1 advantage has been "weighted down".

Matthaus is right in saying that Bayern could have levelled the score at any time (according to the old rules, if Bayern had won 1-0, that would not have been enough). But "could" does not mean that Bayern would have scored. Inter will prefer to play safely to protect their advantage in this match, which means they will defend very well. And if Bayern concentrate on scoring, that is what Inter wants. Sharp counter-attacks have always been the strong point of the team led by coach Simone Inzaghi. In the last 23 first-leg wins in the Champions League, Inter have advanced 21 times.

In terms of force, Inter is in a good position as they have the strongest squad. On the contrary, Bayern's young star Jamal Musiala is out for the rest of the season. Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano and Hiroki Ito in the defense are all injured. A draw is very likely in this match, not only because the strength of both sides is not too different, but also because the circumstances of the match push for that result. In theory, when both sides are equal in class and the home team wants to draw, that is a very easy goal to achieve. Of course, that does not mean Bayern has no hope.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/champions-league-niem-tin-co-du-giup-real-madrid-lat-nguoc-the-co-185250415200121813.htm