Rio Ferdinand has shared his forecast for the eagerly anticipated Champions League semi-final showdown between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu.
One of these teams will go head-to-head with Borussia Dortmund in the upcoming final at Wembley, following Dortmund’s remarkable victory over French champions Paris Saint-Germain in the other semi-final clash.
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With the tie between Madrid and Bayern hanging in the balance after last week’s 2-2 stalemate in Germany, Ferdinand believes he has a bead on the team that will advance to the final.
Asked for his prediction, the former Manchester United defender said on TNT Sports: ‘I think there will be goals, there are dangerous players on both sides.
‘I got tonight’s one wrong, I fancied PSG, but I really genuinely believe that Real Madrid – with that stadium, that history and these players – will get over the line.
‘But both teams will be thinking this is a great opportunity. No disrespect to Dortmund but both of these teams will expect to beat them in the final.’
In a dramatic turn of events, Leroy Sane and Harry Kane’s quickfire double gave Bayern Munich a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid, overturning Vinicius Junior’s initial goal at the Allianz Arena.
However, with ten minutes left on the clock, Vinicius Junior found the net once more, securing a 2-2 draw for the 14-time European champions Madrid and setting the stage for a thrilling second leg.
Despite recently securing the La Liga title, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad put the festivities on hold, focusing instead on their ambition to make it to the Champions League final, especially after their nail-biting penalty shootout win against the reigning champions, Manchester City, in the quarter-finals.
‘Not celebrating was the best thing to do,’ Madrid’s Dani Carvajal said at the pre-match press conference.
‘There’s a vital game and there will be time to celebrate at the weekend – that’s why we took that decision. We’re having a great year. We’re very excited for the Champions League. We’re two games away from lifting it again.
‘The dressing room knows it – in the streets they’re giving us encouragement so we can dream of our 15th [European title].’
Ancelotti, meanwhile, says he is ‘confident’ his team will progress to the Wembley final on June 1 while admitting Bayern Munich were the better side in the first leg.
‘I am confident because this is Real Madrid, we have this squad, I’m confident in the fans who will help us,’ the legendary Italian manager said.
‘These are similar clubs, they have great history and a lot of success in the Champions League. We respect them. They did better than us in the first leg.’
‘All the prep has been about content,’ Tuchel said on the eve of the Bernabeu semi-final. ‘We don’t talk about the legend.
‘It’s one of the most difficult stadiums to win in, but it’s not impossible. We had a very good first leg, but unfortunately didn’t win. Given they’re at home, it’s maybe at 51 percent for Real.’
