Two-time winner of the competition, Jose Mourinho, has the know-how to help nine-time European winners Real Madrid overturn a 2-1 Champions League semi-final first-leg defeat by Bayern Munich in the return tie at the Santiago Bernabeu (Real 8/15, draw 10/3, Bayern 5/1 – Match Betting) on Wednesday.
There are few better at coping with this kind of pressure than the former Internazionale and Chelsea manager and games don’t come much bigger in club football than Wednesday’s encounter in the Spanish capital.
Real find themselves a goal down after the first leg in Munich but have what could well be the all-important away gaol already in the bag ahead of the return leg.
Mourinho’s men look like they will be crowned La Liga champions this season, after a gutsy performance against Barcelona at Camp Nou last weekend.
That will have given the Real squad plenty of confidence going into their clash with Bayern, as their smash-and-grab, counter-attacking performance in Catalonia was perfect considering the free passing opposition.
Once again it was that man Cristiano Ronaldo (5/2 first goalscorer) who bagged the winner against Barca and he is someone Bayern will be fully aware of but the question is will they be able to stop the former Manchester United star again?
The Bundesliga outfit managed to keep the Portuguese international off the scoresheet at the Allianz Arena in the first leg and they will be desperate to do the same again but it will be difficult, considering his presence in the air and his ability to shoot off both feet.
Bayern (7/2 Champions League outright) looked like a real threat on home turf and the duo of Frank Ribery and Mario Gomez got themselves a goal each in an impressive 2-1 win in Bavaria.
The big question will be how Munich head coach Jupp Heynckes looks to approach this game considering his team’s slender lead after the first leg?
Striker Gomez (6/1 first goalscorer) has insisted Bayern will be looking to attack and if they were to get the first goal at the Bernabeu it would be a real hammers blow for the Spanish giants.
Sitting back is not really an option for Munich, as Real with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Karim Benzema and Ronaldo will just pile on the pressure and over 90 minutes, you would expect a Bundesliga side to concede at least one goal, especially against a side with quality of Mourinho’s men.
Bayern have a very slim chance of claiming their domestic title this season and so all their focus will be on getting a result in Madrid and securing a place in the final of the competition at their very own ground.
However that away goal from Ozil in the first leg may come back to haunt them and it would not be surprising to see Real (5/2 Champions League outright) produce another smash and grab performance, to edge themselves through to the showpiece event of the European club season.
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Roy Hodgson has admitted some of the Liverpool squad are “disenchanted” following last season’s poor form but he has vowed to bring the magic back to Anfield – Liverpool are valued at 12/1 to win the Premier League - and says the club are working hard on signing new players.