Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid Prediction: Bayern to win high-scoring thriller

The first leg was a joy to watch and plenty of football fans across the UK (and Europe) will be settling down to watch Bayern Munich and Real Madrid renew acquaintances for the second leg.  TNT Sports 2 will show this match live in the UK on Wednesday evening with kick-off set for 20:00.

Our Spanish-based football expert is previewing this Champions League clash for us and likes the German side to go through and score a few along the way. You can check out his reasoning and two Best Bets for this match right here on Betfred Insights with his Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid Predictions...

*You can check out all the Football Odds and markets on offer with us over at betfred.com

After a thrilling first leg, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid do it all again at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night. The hosts are well-placed to reach the last four, following a 2-1 victory in the Spanish capital last week. 

Bayern could have killed the tie off in the opening hour at the Santiago Bernabéu. Goals from Luis Díaz and Harry Kane put them in a commanding position, and there were other opportunities for the Bavarians to extend their lead in a wide-open clash. 

Real Madrid's counter-attacking threat meant they were never fully out of the contest. By the end, they too had reason to rue missed chances as Álvaro Arbeloa's side staged a late rally, but could only pull one goal back through Kylian Mbappé. 

With so much individual quality in attack, not to mention so much European pedigree, Los Blancos cannot be totally discounted in this second leg. However, there can be little doubt that Bayern are the superior team right now, and they'll firmly believe they can go all the way in the Champions League this season. 

It has been a near-perfect campaign for Vincent Kompany's team to date. They've suffered just two defeats across all competitions, with their overall win rate standing at a stunning 87%. 

A 5-0 victory over St. Pauli at the weekend pushed Bayern a step closer to another Bundesliga title. With Kane and Díaz among those rested, the leaders still had far too much quality for their struggling opponents. Just one more victory will effectively see them crowned German champions again, given their goal difference stands at a formidable +78. 

It's also 10 wins from 11 matches on the European stage for Bayern. They've scored 12 goals in their three knockout fixtures so far, but a record of only two Champions League clean sheets this term does offer some hope to the visitors. 

This is now a season-defining fixture for Real Madrid, after their chances of domestic silverware went up in smoke last week. They trail Barcelona by nine points with only seven matches to go in La Liga, after losing 2-1 to Mallorca and being held to a 1-1 draw by Girona following the international break. 

Arbeloa made some baffling selection calls on Friday night, including the decision to leave Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is suspended in Munich, on the bench. He was clearly keen to give Eduardo Camavinga a runout in midfield ahead of the second leg, but it was another unconvincing league performance from Los Blancos. 

They were unfortunate not to get a late penalty, but overall it was another match where they struggled to break down inferior opponents. On some levels, playing against attack-minded sides like Man City and Bayern Munich in Europe may suit them, as it grants far more space for Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior to exploit on the break. 

With the deficit standing at only one, that is likely to be their best path to a goal at the Allianz Arena. However, there are serious doubts about whether they'll have enough in central midfield and defence to hold firm for long against such a dangerous Bayern side. 

Team News: 

The hosts have had a fitness concern over Serge Gnabry heading into the second leg, but they're hopeful he'll be ready to take his place again. Kane should also return following his weekend rest. The England international played through the pain barrier according to his boss in Madrid, due to an ankle injury. 

Youngster Lennart Karl is currently sidelined with an ankle issue, but assuming Gnabry recovers, it could be the same team that started the first leg. 

Real Madrid will be forced into at least one change from last week given Tchouaméni is suspended. That may see Camavinga come into the midfield, while Jude Bellingham is also likely to start, which could see either Thiago Pitarch or Arda Güler drop out. 

Arbeloa may also opt to use the more defensively-minded Ferland Mendy at left-back, after Álvaro Carreras had a tough night up against Olise in the first leg. Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo remain sidelined due to injuries. 

Match Odds: 

Bayern Munich are priced at 3/5 to win on the night. You can back Real Madrid to win at 16/5, while they're given an 11/2 chance of coming back to progress into the semi-finals. 

The first leg saw both sides create over two xG. If you're anticipating another action-packed clash, Over 4.5 goals is priced at 13/8, while you can back both teams to score twice or more at 9/4. Bayern are given an 11/8 chance of winning a match with goals at each end. 

Alternatively, you can back Real Madrid to win and Over 2.5 goals at 9/2. Los Blancos are also priced at 7/5 to win either half. 

With so much attacking talent on display, there is no shortage of potential goalscorers. From a home perspective, Kane leads the way as the 11/4 favourite to score first, while he's given a 12/5 chance of scoring twice or more. Díaz is priced at 23/20 to score anytime, while Olise is on offer at 6/4 in the same market. 

As for Real Madrid, Mbappé is available at 9/2 to score first, and 11/10 to score anytime. Meanwhile, Vinícius is priced at 11/5 to grab a second-leg goal. 

*You can bet on the match and check out all of our Betting Markets on the Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid Odds page on betfred.com

Bet 1 - Bayern Munich to win & Over 3.5 goals @ 7/5 

Even in a season when Real Madrid have been highly unconvincing, going to the Bernabéu and playing the way Bayern did is still no mean feat. That should give them all the belief they need to go on and close out the tie back on home soil. 

It's not really in Kompany's DNA to drop deeper and see this out in a defensive manner, so there's a strong chance we'll get another entertaining contest between two European giants. Real Madrid have the pace to grab at least a goal on the break, but they're likely to be overrun in the centre of the park without Tchouaméni, who is their only convincing holding midfield option. 

It'd be a surprise if these teams are as wasteful as they were last week, and I'm backing Bayern Munich to win and Over 3.5 goals at 7/5. 

Bet 2 - Michael Olise 3+ shots & Luis Díaz 1+ shots on target @ 5/6 

While both sides finished with 20 shots last week, Bayern's superiority should be more clear on home soil. They're likely to have spells of dominance where they fire shots in from all angles at the goal of Andriy Lunin, who would have been disappointed not to stop Kane's effort last Wednesday. 

Olise could be the danger man. He had four attempts in the first leg, which was more than any other player for the Bundesliga side. The Frenchman is averaging 3.4 shots per game in this season's Champions League. 

On the other flank, Díaz should again have the beating of his ex-Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold. He got in behind for the opening goal in Madrid, and there should be at least one moment in this game when a similar opportunity presents itself.

Given that, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Olise to have 3+ shots and Díaz to have 1+ shots on target at 5/6. 

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Football writers on our Football home page...