As Madrid seeks winning formula, Bayern banks on Kane

MADRID — Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is searching for the formula that will take his team's performance up several notches and get it past Bayern Munich on Wednesday to reach the Champions League final.

The Italian admitted, after the 2-2 semifinal first leg draw last week in Bavaria, that Real failed to find its consistent best, despite earning a decent result and with the German giant largely on top.

"Bayern are very dangerous, they were at their best and we weren't — we have time to improve for Wednesday," Ancelotti told reporters at the Allianz Arena, after Vinicius Junior's brace secured Madrid a draw.

Madrid comes into the match on the back of sealing the La Liga title with a 3-0 win over Cadiz on Saturday, but with the Champions League second leg at the forefront of its mind, celebrations were put on ice.

Los Blancos players reported for training on Sunday morning, and the players did not join fans at Plaza Cibeles, where they would usually party together after earning major titles.

Record 14-time Champions League winner Real Madrid instead had its sights firmly set on extending its European domination.

"We would like to celebrate with all the fans, but they understand because on Wednesday we have a very important challenge," said Ancelotti.

"It's contained joy — we have the most important game of the season coming up."

Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez agreed with his coach.

"We're on the verge of reaching another final, we're going to give our all to get there — that's why we can't celebrate too much," he said.

Madrid's target is achieving a fifth La Liga and Champions League double.

Ancelotti has won 12 trophies at Madrid, and is close to catching the club's all-time leader Miguel Munoz on 14, secured between 1960 and 1972.

To reach the final at Wembley Ancelotti must find a way to restrain Bayern's wingers Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala, who caused Madrid a constant headache in the first leg.

Dani Carvajal will return from suspension at rightback to try and shackle Musiala, while stopping former Manchester City man Sane might require Jude Bellingham and others tracking back to help Ferland Mendy.

"It is important we begin to defend with collective commitment," Ancelotti reminded his players when speaking about the side's improvement this season.

"The big effort was made by the forwards, rather than the defenders — injuries helped us understand that it wasn't about individuals, but a team effort."

Ancelotti only started Nacho against Cadiz from the lineup he deployed in Munich, so his players will be fresh and chomping at the bit to reach the final.

Crisis management

Six-time Champions League winner Bayern Munich heads into Wednesday's match at Real Madrid ever more reliant on striker Harry Kane, amid swirling off-field crises entirely of their own making.

Bayern still does not have a coach lined up for next season, with reports emerging on Monday that Julen Lopetegui became the latest to knock back the German giant, with the Spaniard choosing West Ham instead.

With Dortmund 1-0 up heading to its second semifinal at Paris Saint-Germain, a repeat of the all-German final is potentially on the cards.

Even just appearing in a Champions League final, let alone winning a seventh crown, would change the narrative surrounding Bayern's disappointing season.

Kane, famously still without a team trophy, despite a decade collecting individual honors, left Tottenham for the stability of serial winner Bayern last summer.

Bayern's stumbles and Bayer Leverkusen's incredible unbeaten season under Xabi Alonso ended the Bavarians' 11-year grip on the Bundesliga title in April.

Bayern's elimination in the German Cup at the hands of third-division Saarbruecken — with Kane on the bench throughout — means that the Champions League is its only chance of a trophy this season.

While that looked unlikely when Bayern lost 1-0 at Lazio in the last 16 first leg — with coach Thomas Tuchel agreeing to leave the club just days later — the German behemoth is just one win away from a 12th Champions League final.

But, while the club and its hierarchy continue to suffer from self-inflicted wounds on and off the pitch, Kane is reliably carrying it to within touching distance of a Wembley return, and a possible seventh crown.

A member-run club without wealthy majority ownership, Bayern is consistently held up as a model of success fueled by stable, sensible decisions both on and off the pitch.

Its record with head coaches, however, leaves much to be desired. Since Pep Guardiola's departure in 2016 after a three-year tenure, none of Bayern's seven coaches since have served two full seasons.

Most recently, Bayern sacked Julian Nagelsmann for the crime of being one point behind leader Borussia Dortmund in March 2023.

In February 2024, Bayern then agreed to part ways with Nagelsmann's replacement Tuchel at the season's end.

AFP