Event of the Day: Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

Our event of the day comes from the UEFA Champions League semi-finals as Real Madrid travel to Munich to face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. For both teams, this can be seen as a tough draw. Last year, Real Madrid became the first team to win two Champions League titles in a row, and have taken some big scalps on the way to the semi-finals this time around. Zinedine Zidane’s men will be desperate to reach the final and write their names in the history books by going one step further and winning it three times on the bounce. After coming through a group that included Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund, Real have gone on to knock out Paris Saint-German and then Juventus in the last 16 and quarterfinals respectively.

Bayern meanwhile, have had a slightly easier time of it. They defeated Beşiktaş and then Sevilla to progress to this stage. They have, however, already sealed the German league and are in the DFB-Pokal Cup Final and have shown some formidable form this season. The teams boast some of the best footballers on the planet, making this a very hard tie to predict. Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski has scored 39 goals in all competitions this season, whilst Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo has 42, including at least one in all ten of Madrid’s European matches this season. History predicts nothing between the two sides either. Of the 24 matches they have played against each other in the Champions League/European Cup, each side has won 11. Most are giving Real Madrid a slight edge going into the tie, but with tonight’s game at Bayern’s home venue, this match is too close to call.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the AFL matchup between Collingwood and Essendon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. After both teams started the season slowly, this Anzac Day clash has been given a significant boost by the fact that both teams posted unlikely victories in round four. In MLB, the St. Louis Cardinals play the New York Mets at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The pick of the NBA playoff games are the clashes between the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards and the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Indiana Pacers, with both series tied at two apiece. In the NRL, Melbourne Storm host the Warriors at AAMI Park. In the Indian Premier League, the Chennai Super Kings travel to Bangalore to face the Royal Challengers whilst Cycling’s Tour de Romandie continues. The Snooker World Championship’s move into the fifth day and it’s the third day of both the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

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Photos by UEFA

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