Real Madrid vs. Bayern: 7 Bold Predictions for Champions League Semifinal

The world's two best hopes to halt the runaway train that is Barcelona are set to clash in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, which kick off roughly two weeks from today.

If history is any indicator of how this matchup will go, we're in for a whole lot of fireworks. Both teams are historically the most successful in their respective countries, and the two teams have won 13 European Cups between themselves.

Additionally, both teams come into this game in excellent form, both on the European level and domestically.

In the Champions League, Bayern Munich have scored 11 goals and conceded only once since the start of the knockout rounds, while Real Madrid have conceded on four goals but scored 13.

So already we know that we're guaranteed to see goals, and lots of them too. But what else will we see? Who will win and earn the (likely) opportunity to take down a Barca team so good that many have started to refer to them as "boring?"

Those questions, and more, will be answered in the coming slides.

Real Madrid's Weak Defense Will Be Their Undoing

Individually, Real Madrid have some of the world's best defenders on their squad.

Sergio Ramos is rated as one of the world's best overall defenders, and when he's not committing crazy tackles, Pepe can be a dominant, commanding force at the back as well.

Raul Albiol is generally solid when called upon, and Raphael Varane has quickly matured into a top-quality center-back for Madrid, even though he has yet to even reach his 19th birthday.

For the most part, Madrid's full-backs are a reliable bunch as well. Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao and Hamit Altintop are all known more for their offense than defense, but they can definitely get stuck-in on defense as well.

The problems with Madrid's defense arise when you look at the unit as a whole. Even though they hold a solid six point league over Barcelona in the league, Real Madrid have conceded five more goals.

And of the four semifinalists remaining in the Champions League, Real Madrid are tied with Chelsea for conceding the most goals thus far in the tournament.

The difference, of course, is that Chelsea have had to overcome the likes of Napoli and Benfica, while Real Madrid have been, to date, tasked with the comparatively simpler tasks of overcoming a decent CSKA Moscow side and a completely outmatched APOEL team.

Thus far, Real Madrid's ability to completely outscore their opposition has shadowed the team's fragility in defense. Against Bayern Munich though, it's unlikely Madrid will be as lucky.

Madrid's defense needs to tighten up, and fast. Otherwise, the holes in the defense will be exploited time and again, and Madrid will find themselves giving up too many goals to get back into the game.

Bayern Munich Will Win the Home Leg

As a result of Madrid's defensive fragilities, I expect that Bayern Munich will win their first leg at home against Real Madrid.

Even if Real Madrid's first-choice defense is available as expected, Bayern Munich's Robbery should be able to exploit the defensive inadequacies of Marcelo and Alvaro Arbeloa.

If Jose Mourinho opts to move Sergio Ramos out wide to cope with the pace of Ribery, Mario Gomez will be given the opportunity to take on Raphael Varane and Pepe in the center of Madrid's defense, and I believe Gomez will prove to be too much for the young Varane to handle.

It certainly won't be an easy victory, nor will it be a victory by a convincing margin.

If I had to offer a scoreline right now, I'd predict a 2-1 to Bayern Munich, with Bayern taking the edge in the game with a winning goal in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Bayern Munich's Defense Could Also Hurt Them

So far, I've only addressed the fragility of Madrid's defense, but Bayern Munich's defense isn't exactly in tip-top shape either.

While Real Madrid conceded only two goals in the group stage, Bayern Munich conceded six goals in six games, which is especially unimpressive when you consider that they were the group winners.

It should of course be noted that Munich currently boast the best defensive tally in the Bundesliga with only 18 goals conceded in 28 games, but then again one has to consider the role that Manuel Neuer, one of the world's best keepers, plays in that.

Ironically, Munich's center-backs have not been the cause of Munich's defensive fragility this season. Though Holger Badstuber and Jerome Boateng may not have the biggest names in world football, they've quietly gone about getting the job done.

Finding a full-back partner for Philipp Lahm has been Munich's biggest problem. Rafinha was supposed to be the answer to this problem when he was brought in during the summer, but his performances have been hot-and-cold for Bayern this season.

Luis Gustavo has played as a full-back in the past, but is a much more effective defensive midfielder, while Daniel Pranjic's performances are not consistent enough for him to be a permanent full-back option for Bayern. The same applies for Diego Contento.

Luckily, in recent games, David Alaba has emerged as the perfect full-back option for Bayern at left-back.

He's still young, but he possesses excellent stamina and awareness. He contributes greatly to Bayern's offense, links up with Ribery to good effect, and still manages to mind his flank with tenacity on defense.

A lot will depend on Alaba's adjustment to his new role. If he keeps up his good performances against Madrid, that could definitely swing the tie in Bayern's favor. If he crumbles under the pressure, Madrid may be able to exploit the right flank to their benefit.

Real Madrid Will Dominate the Second Leg

Real Madrid are monsters at home. Bayern Munich are poor on the road. In a nutshell, this is why I expect Real Madrid will dominate the tie at home.

Bayern Munich have been borderline unstoppable at home this season. They have a 6-0-0 record in Champions League play this season, and in the league their 12-0-2 record is highly impressive.

But on the road, Bayern have struggled. A 7-3-4 domestic away record is hardly the form of champions, and in the Champions League, Bayern's record stands at an unimpressive 3-1-2.

On the other hand, Real Madrid's home record this season is arguably even more impressive than Bayern's. Madrid boast a 5-0-0 home record in the Champions League, and domestically are 13-1-1.

But beyond the records, I'm backing Real Madrid to dominate because they score in bunches at home. I find it hilarious that Barca fans criticize Real for being defense, when to date, Real Madrid have scored 14 more goals in the league having played the same number of games.

In their Champions League home games, Real have scored three past Ajax, four past Lyon, six past Dinamo Zagreb, four past CSKA Moscow and five past APOEL at home. 

Sure, those teams don't represent the highest echelon of European football, but they're definitely solid teams. 

Domestically, Real Madrid's dominance is even scarier. In 15 home games, Real have only failed to score at least three goals twice; once against Barcelona in their 1-3 Clasico loss, and once against Malaga in the pair's recent 1-1 draw.

I never base my predictions solely off statistics, but here, the evidence overwhelmingly points to Real Madrid dominating at home.

Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Arjen Robben Will Shine

They say that professional footballers don't hold grudges, but it's hard to imagine that players don't have an extra desire to prove their doubters wrong whenever they're snubbed. They're human, after all.

As such, I expect that Ozil and Robben will bring their A-game when the two face off in the semifinals.

At the end of the 2010 World Cup, Christian Nerlinger, an executive at Bayern Munich, famously declared that neither Ozil nor Khedira would be good enough to break into Bayern's first team.

Two years later, Ozil and Khedira are two of the most highly rated players in their positions, and regular members of the first team for Real Madrid. Some would even consider Khedira a permanent starter, such is the improvement Khedira has made with Real over the course of this season.

But Bayern Munich aren't the only team doing the snubbing. Despite being one of the best, if not the best, Real Madrid players during his time with the La Liga giants, Robben was cruelly discarded by Madrid when Florentino Perez was re-elected president.

After completing his move, Robben spoke out about the move, saying he was "forced out" of Madrid.

The move has worked out excellently for Robben, though, who has reached the pinnacle of his career with Bayern Munich. He's won numerous individual and team awards, including the Footballer of the Year in Germany, and could potentially be his team's most dangerous player against Real Madrid.

I can definitely see these three players swinging the tie in their respective teams' favors based on their performances.

Kaka's good form means that Ozil isn't sure to play, but I'm positive Mourinho will give Ozil the opportunity to show his ability to the German giants who doubted him.

Ribery vs. Cristiano Ronaldo Will Be the Battle to Watch

Though Ribery failed to score in either leg of Bayern Munich's matchup with Marseille, his performance in the second leg showed just how dominant he can be when in top form. 

His runs at the defense and down the flanks stretched Marseille's defense, allowing Olic the opportunity to put away two goals with relative ease. He packed the stat sheet from top to bottom.

But his performance in the first leg showed that inconsistency still plagues Ribery's game. When in top form, he's phenomenal, when he's not, he can of greater detriment to his team than he is to the opposition.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has long since worked out the inconsistencies in his game, and almost always produces at the highest level. We're no longer surprised when we hear Ronaldo has grabbed a brace or scored from 35 yards out. We've grown accustomed to it.

But that doesn't mean that Ronaldo doesn't possess the ability to wow us. Indeed, this is a game where Madrid fans will be hoping he does just that. Even though he's proven his ability to perform in big games countless times in the past, this will be one more opportunity for him to further proclaim his greatness.

Ronaldo's CL performances have been greatly overshadowed by Messi's, but he still has an impressive record of eight CL goals in eight CL games.

If he can score once or twice against Bayern Munich, and hope that his Madrid teammates can frustrate Ribery over both legs, this tie should be Madrid's to win.

On the other hand, if Ribery manages to overcome Madrid's defenders on the left flank, and Lahm manages to nullify Ronaldo, the edge should swing in Bayern's favor.

Real Madrid Will Progress to the Final

This may not be a popular prediction for those hoping that Bayern Munich will have the opportunity to fight for the Champions League title on their home ground, but I predict that Real Madrid will overcome a 2-1 loss in Germany to win by 2 goals (or more) at home.

Real Madrid's offense will prove too much for Bayern's defense to handle, and Madrid will (likely) face off against Barcelona in Germany in one of the biggest Clasicos in history.

Disagree? Agree? Give your reasons in the comments section below.