Madrid, April 14: Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa faces the most important game of his coaching career on Wednesday when his side travels to Bayern Munich for the second leg of its Champions League quarterfinal, needing to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg.
Kylian Mbappe’s goal at the Santiago Bernabeu last Tuesday gave Madrid hope after Luis Diaz and Harry Kane had put Bayern 2-0 ahead, but history offers little encouragement. Madrid has lost the first leg of a European knockout tie at home seven times and has overturned the deficit away only once, in the 1970 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Bayern, meanwhile, has a strong record of protecting an advantage, progressing on 30 of the 31 occasions it has won the first leg away, with the only exception coming against Inter Milan in 2011, reports Xinhua.
Arbeloa is set to recall Jude Bellingham and Eder Militao to the starting lineup after both were limited to substitute appearances in the first leg, but midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended.
Tchouameni’s absence is a significant setback given his form in a holding role this season, particularly against Bayern’s attacking strength. Eduardo Camavinga struggled for consistency in recent weeks and faced criticism.
Central defender Raul Asencio is also unavailable due to illness, while left-back Ferland Mendy has been included in the squad but is unlikely to start.
Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Girona on Friday left the club nine points behind FC Barcelona in La Liga with seven games remaining, and the team was booed off at the Bernabeu.Arbeloa’s first match in charge after replacing Xabi Alonso in January ended in a Copa del Rey defeat to second-tier Albacete. With the league title all but out of reach and the Spanish Super Cup already lost to Barcelona, the Champions League represents Madrid’s only realistic chance of silverware.
Elimination in Munich would leave the club without a trophy this season and turn the remaining fixtures into a formality, an outcome that would carry significant consequences for a club of Madrid’s stature and for president Florentino Perez, who said at the weekend: “Real Madrid never gives in.”Arbeloa’s future may depend on producing a comeback, while his players have an opportunity to demonstrate their backing for the coach, although Bayern will be confident of finishing the job.And so, beneath the bright Bavarian lights and the weight of expectation that follows a club of such stature, Real Madrid stand on the edge of a defining night. For Alvaro Arbeloa, it is more than just a match—it is a test of belief, authority, and the ability to inspire a response when the odds appear firmly stacked against him. (IANS)
