Two of European football's behemoths will enter battle this week when Real Madrid and Bayern Munich lock horns in the Uefa Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
For the runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern, the Bernabeu first-leg clash represents the ultimate test of their aspirations as they look to seal a seventh European Cup, albeit their first since 2020.
In that time, Real Madrid have won it twice, taking their tally to a record-extending 15 titles, and manager Vincent Kompany is fully aware “the best team in the history of the Champions League” are next up for his Bayern side.
But the Belgian coach will go into the game confident that the Bavarians can end a 14-year wait to knock Los Blancos out of a competition the Spaniards have made winning look second nature.
Bayern are in formidable form. Kompany's team have lost just twice in 43 matches across competitions this season, drawing a further four, with the rest being victories.
After a stunning late comeback from 2-0 down at Freiburg on Saturday, teenage match-winner Lennart Karl made clear that confidence is running high in the dressing room.
“We feel unbeatable at the moment,” said the 18-year-old following his 99th-minute strike – Bayern's 100th goal of the Bundesliga season – that maintained their nine-point lead over Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table.
“You can't win every game 3-0 or 4-0,” added Kompany. “You have to experience these kinds of emotions in the course of a season.”
In the Champions League group phase, Bayern finished second behind English side Arsenal, winning seven out of eight, and then followed that up by demolishing Serie A's Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate in the last 16.
“I’m always proud of what the boys deliver – they perform, score goals, and never stop,” said Kompany after the 4-1 second-leg triumph at the Allianz Arena.
That win saw England captain Harry Kane notch the 49th and 50th Champions League goals of his career, the latter being one of the goals of this season's tournament so far.
“Harry’s incredible,” added Kompany of the 32-year-old whose 10 Champions League strikes this season is bettered only by Real's Kylian Mbappe (13). “I can’t even explain his second goal. The movement – it’s unbelievable, world-class.”
Kane, though, is an injury concern for the clash in the Spanish capital after missing England's friendly loss to Japan last week – and Bayern's weekend win at Freiburg – due to an ankle problem which Three Lions manager and former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel described as “minor”.
“I think he’d play even in a wheelchair,” insisted Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich of a player who has 48 goals this season. “I reckon he’ll be able to play. He’ll crawl on to the pitch if he has to.”
While having Kane – who trained with the squad ahead of travelling to Spain on Monday – fit will obviously be a huge boost, Bayern are far from a one-man show when it comes to attacking talent.
Luis Diaz, a summer signing from Liverpool, has notched 22 goals, Michael Olise 16 and Serge Gnabry 10, while the likes of Karl (nine) and Nicolas Jackson (seven) have also chipped in with important contributions.
Olise can add 28 assists to his goal contributions with Kompany delighted with the player's attitude and professionalism, putting the Frenchman's abilities up on a pedestal alongside his former Manchester City and Belgium teammate Kevin de Bruyne's.
“His mindset is what makes him so special,” Kompany said of the 24-year-old last week. “As I’ve already said a few times: He’s a lad who works with great attention to detail, who also gets frustrated sometimes when things don’t work out 100 per cent.
“But it’s easier to have a player who works on himself at that level. I’ve always compared him to Kevin de Bruyne, I always think I see that in him.
“What Michael does, the way he shoots, he dribbles, right and left foot, I feel like I’ve seen that in a player before. I’m sure he’ll get even better and make Bayern even better in the future.”
Real, meanwhile, head into the game on the back of a frustrating 2-1 loss at relegation-threatened Mallorca that leaves Alvaro Arbeloa's side seven points behind leaders Barcelona in the La Liga title race.
It was Real's 10th loss of the season – with five defeats coming under the sacked Xabi Alonso and five under Arbeloa – which represents the club's worst record since 2018/19.
Real needed a play-off win over Benfica (3-1 over two legs) to secure their last-16 place, which then saw them flex their Champions League muscles in a 5-1 aggregate beating of Manchester City.
"I told them there was no time to dwell on what had happened [at Mallorca]," Arbeloa said on Monday. "All we're thinking about is winning tomorrow.
"A Madrid side that has always stood up to top-class opponents. We're up against a team that's the most consistent in Europe and will really test us. Our history against this opponent is special. I'm sure we're in for a great night, just like against Manchester City."
But the Mallorca loss highlighted their vulnerabilities and Bayern will know this will represent a huge opportunity to inflict a first defeat on Real since a semi-final penalty shoot-out victory back in 2012.
“We've acquired this confidence over eight, nine months of this season,” said Bayern board member for sport Max Erberl. “And we can go there with this confidence and face the Bernabeu – a stadium, a beast – that’s at its most formidable in moments like these. We know what we’re capable of. We don’t need to hide.”
