The Daily Merengue is a place where you can feel free to do all things football. Do not be alarmed by the overt RMCF bias. It’s in the name! Shoutout to the mods who do a fantastic job, Ezek, Valyrian Steel, Felipejack, Juninho, NeRObutBlanco and yours truly, Kung_Fu_Zizou
A familiar place.. A familiar foe.. A feeling all too familiar. The Champions League is upon us again and as always with Real Madrid, an almighty affair with stories upon stories of drama lying in wait.
Real Madrid as has been throughout my lifetime happen upon the knockout rounds of the Champions League looking bent out of shape and scarcely a fighting chance against much lauded major stallions of the Bundesliga, Die Roten. The Bête Noir of years past seemingly vanquished returns hauntingly to the Bernabeu with Los Blancos already bloodied and stumbling. Bayern only need to connect with a few strong punches to lay the champion down for good this season.
“Real Madrid have a knack for the dramatic. The Bernabeu plays host to the greatest telenovela in the history of football if not all sports.” – Kung_Fu_Zizou
Our greatest strength against Bayern this season is simply that nobody including Real Madrid players knows which Real Madrid will show up on the night. Are we going to see Lunin from the 2023/24 season? Will the midfield fight like they did against Man City at the Etihad in 2024? Will Vinicius be on his top Champions League form? Will Kylian Mbappe be the killer extraordinaire? Or are we going to see what we saw last season against Arsenal; the team rolling over and having their bellies tickled over 2 legs?
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Vinicius Junior – Mr Champions League
Vinicius Junior is many things.. One of those many things is a Champions League superstar. The Brazilian forward has been a defining figure in the Champions League for years now and he’s only 25 years old. The last 2 Champions League triumphs were defined largely by two major moments; in 2022 Rodrygo’s double off the bench further propagated the illusion before Joselu’s double in 2024 against Bayern, again at the Bernabeu saw the unscripted passage of Real Madrid into yet another Champions League final. However, in both those Champions League runs, Vinicius’ brilliance facilitated the team’s progress through the competition with an incredible return in knockout ties. He scarcely misses the opportunity to contribute regardless of the opposition. Bayern will be keenly aware of this but it won’t change their approach. Vinicius has another opportunity to further etch his name in the history books.
Kylian Mbappe – The Madridista Searching for Champions League Glory
Kylian Mbappe’s arrival had so much promise and yet the struggle seems to increase in weight when his addition to the squad should have made light work of Real Madrid’s challenges. Kylian arrived when Real Madrid had just come off another double-winning season with the feeling that they could overcome any and every challenge.. The opposite happened and the frenchman has a wonderful opportunity to make things right with an heroic showing on the biggest stage. A Champions League night against an almighty foe at the peak of its powers is something to behold. The stage is set.
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Arbeloa – The Dragon Slayer
Arbeloa has stumbled against lesser opposition but has done well against the stronger sides. There’s nuance of course but it may well be that he’s that kind of manager who relishes the big game which the players love. It could be another masterful tactical display against a superior attacking side that brings Arbeloa another top scalp. Arbeloa will have to be careful with his lineup. Everyone wants to start the big games but if the manager himself can not only see but actually say that not everyone is up to the rhythm at the moment, he might do well to go with what has worked so far. There would be no shame in not starting Jude and Kylian in the first leg. Surely, the aim is to win the game and not merely to start your best players regardless of circumstance.
Thiago Pitarch has done everything to continue starting. He’s not a superstar but he does the job we need to balance the team. Thiago and Brahim do work off the ball that allows Tchouameni and Valverde to affect the game more which is what you want against a difficult opponent. Fede playing with offensive freedom gives the team an edge by allowing our right side to carry a threat without stretching the team in defensive transition as Pitarch will be back to help Tchouameni.
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Jude Bellingham can do what Pitarch does and much more but he’s too ambitious. This means he doesn’t mind risking the game for a chance to attack whereas Thiago will simply keep the ball moving and move to the next spot not worried about whether or not he will get the ball back, he’s focused on being an outlet or covering. Arda, Tchouameni, Thiago, Fede and Brahim make a surprisingly good blend. Arbeloa knows the balance of the team. He needs to show the stones to go with it. Much easier said than done.
There’s Nothing Left to Do Except Win!
Los Blancos have to hold on to the Champions League run as something to show for a season of football many would sooner wish to forget. Arbeloa’s biggest challenge is that he no longer has the luxury of injuries to allow him to focus on building a structure and rhythm to the game. He now has to name starters and pray. Real Madrid have one advantage against Bayern but it is rather slim. It is the same advantage we hold against Barcelona and yet have come up short in 5 of our last 6 outings against the Blaugrana. Bayern are hyper offensive and will pins us back in our own half while attacking half spaces and creating shooting chances. This leaves their defence exposed in transition. We have all the players built for that opening but how many times will we do it effectively and be clinical in front of goal? That will be the difference.
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I always support Real Madrid even when we’re underdogs, I believe we can win. I believe we can beat Bayern but that would be the upset as we’re in no way, shape or form even remote favourites in the tie. The weight of history once again rests on the shoulders of the boys in white.
Bayern will be out for revenge for the umpteenth time as they’ve gone more than a decade without a victory over Real Madrid in this European Classic affair.
