The 14-time winners have the edge overall but the stats couldn’t be much closer. Let’s look at Los Blancos’ previous trips to Bavaria.
Two of the clubs who have dominated the Champions League over the years, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will contest a place in this year’s final. With an eye-watering 14 trophies in the Bernabéu display cabinet, no one has won this competition as many times as Madrid and Bayern are not that far behind with six - level with Liverpool and one less than AC Milan.
They are also the two clubs who have played the most matches in the tournament - Madrid with 486 and Bayern with 392, so unsurprisingly this is the most-played fixture in the history of the Champions League/European Cup with 26 encounters between the Spanish giants and their German counterparts. This will be the fifth time they have met in the semi-finals.
Bayern and Madrid first crossed paths in the semi-finals of the 1975-6 European Cup. Featuring a side packed with World Cup winners such as Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeness, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Karl-Heinze Rummenigge and Gerd Müller, Bayern were the defending champions having won the two previous editions. Conversely, Madrid had pretty much lost their mojo and their dominance in Europe. The glory days of the late 50s and early 60s were a distant memory by then. The Spaniards had last lifted the trophy in 1966, and this meeting was the third time they’d reached the semis since that victory over Partizan at Heysel.
Bayern take first meeting 3-1 on aggregate
The first leg at the Bernabéu ended level. Roberto Martínez poinced on a defensive cock-up to give the hosts an early lead but it was cancelled out by Der Bomber Müller, who finished into an empty net on the stroke of half-time. The game was infamous for a number of reasons - mainly for El loco del Bernabéu (the Bernabéu madman) a pitch invader who accosted the ref and Maier leaving Martínez with a broken nose.
Over in Germany, the tie was done and dusted within the first 45 minutes. Müller rifled in an unstoppable strike from the D on nine minutes then doubled the lead with another fine finish on the turn with half an hour gone.
They managed to avoid each other for the next decade, until 1986-7 when once again they met in the semis - Madrid returning to Europe after six years in the wilderness. Bayern wrapped up the tie on home turf, with goals from Klaus Augenthaler, Roland Wohlfarth and two penalties converted by Lothar Matthäus. Emilio Butragueño pulled one back for the guests but Madrid were outclassed and that was reflected on the scoreboard. Madrid won the return leg by a solitary goal but it was too little too late and Bayern marched on to the final.
Madrid eliminate Bayern for the first time
Less than 12 months later, Bayern and Madrid were pitted against each other again - this time in the quarter finals.The Germans scored three quickfire goals within the space of seven minutes while Madrid showed why they are the comeback kings, with late goals from Butragueño and Hugo Sánchez. Madrid won the return 2-0 to beat Bayern on aggregate for the first time but still without a win at the Olympiastadion.
Bayern and Madrid would play each other four times in the 1999-2000 Champions League, the first to feature two group stages. The two clubs landed in Group C in the second group stage round. Bayern came away from Madrid with a 2-4 win then thrashed Madrid 4-1 at home. But both finished in the top two positions, with Madrid sneaking through with a superior head-to-head record against Dynamo Kyiv.
Madrid famously beat Manchester United in the quarter finals and Bayern eliminated Porto so within the space of two months, they were facing each other again in the semis. Nicolas Anelka had endured a torrid season but he showed up just when Del Bosque’s side needed him most. He put Madrid 1-0 up in the home leg and a Jens Jeremies own goal gave Los Blancos a two-goal advantage to take to Munich.
Anelka to the rescue
Anelka beat Oliver Kahn with a sublime, glanced header which ended up being a crucial away goal. Bayern’s response with goals from Jancker and Elber wasn’t enough and Madrid went through to the final.
They met at exactly the same stage the following season. Giovane Elber scored the only goal of the first leg in Madrid. Elber bundled in the opener back in Munich and while Figo levelled soon after, a well-worked set-piece was finished off by Jeremies to make it 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate, dashing the chance of an all-Spanish final - a repeat of the previous year’s against Valencia.
The two teams met for the third consecutive season in the 2001-2 quarter finals. Kahn was beaten by Geremi on 11 minutes. Late goals from Effenburg and Elber gave Bayern hope and extended the team’s perfect home record against Madrid. Late goals from Helguera and Guti at the Bernabeu allowed Madrid to advance and leave the cup holders out.
Madrid’s next visit to Munich was in February 2004. Oliver Kahn was doubtful for the first leg but played with painkillers. Roy Makaay headed the hosts in front and Kahn fumbled a Roberto Carlos free-kick to make it 1-1 - the first time Madrid had ever taken something from the Olympiastadion.
In fact Madrid’s first win in Munich didn’t arrive until 2014. Ancelotti’s side did it in style, beating the Germans 0-4 at the Allianz Arena with Sergio Ramos and Cristano Ronaldo both scoring a brace.
Madrid won the next two games on German soil, meaning that they have won all of their last three away matches against Bayern. Overall, in 13 visits to Munich, Real Madrid have won three, drawn one and lost nine while their general head-to-head record against Bayern including home and away games shows how lose this fixture has become: 12 Madrid wins, 11 Bayern wins and three draws.