Bengaluru, April 24: Bayern Munich legend and former Germany international Oliver Kahn believes that Bayern can put Real Madrid under pressure in their tough UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday night (April 25).
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While both Bayern and Real are the strong favourites to win this UCL, the double-legged semi-finals could be the match of the tournament as world football is expecting a tough fight from both sides.
Though Bayern is in superb form currently, the last time they beat Real Madrid in the UCL was in the 2012/13 season. Later, they met in the knockout stages of two more UCL seasons (2013/14 & 2016/17) but Real Madrid claimed the victories on both occasions.
💯 days, 💯 players | Oliver Kahn
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The commanding keeper kept 5 clean sheets in 6 games to drive 🇩🇪@DFB_Team_EN into the 2002 #WorldCup Final, where they lost to Brazil. @OliverKahn finished that tournament with the adidas Golden Ball - the only shot-stopper to win the award. pic.twitter.com/qYzlhEsbpo
The German club is desperate to change their recent fate against Real Madrid, but the team knows that it will be not an easy task.
German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn believes that Bayern can make the Spanish giants' chances difficult by putting them under pressure.
"There are enough possibilities to put Real Madrid under pressure and to put them in danger. Real Madrid are a typical phase team. That is, they have phases in the game where they press extremely hard and make an extreme push that almost strangles the opponent," Marca quoted the 48-year-old German as saying.
Earlier, Bayern chairman Karl Heinz Rummenigge has also claimed that Bayern is one of the teams who can beat the strongest Real Madrid side.
On the other hand, Premier League club Liverpool will meet against Italian Serie A club Roma in the other double-legged semi-finals of 2017/18 UCL.
Talking about Bayern's possible opponents if they reach in 2017/18 UCL final, Kahn said Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool can create a dream final, but Roma shouldn't be underestimated.
Kahn said: "Liverpool with Jurgen Klopp, that final would be a dream. But Roma should not be underestimated."
The last time that Bayern had won the UCL trophy, back in the 2012/13 season, their opponents in the final were none other than Klopp's Borussia Dortmund. Bayern had claimed a 2-1 victory in that final at the Wembley Stadium (London, England).