Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: German Side Must Score Early at the Bernabeu

There is virtually no chance Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich lives up the excitement of yesterday's epic clash between Chelsea and Barcelona, but one of the two teams will be heading to Munich for the Champions League final on May 19 all the same.

Bayern Munich holds the advantage against the likely La Liga champions, but a trip to the Santiago Bernabeu holds no promises for the Bundesliga giants.

Not with the high-powered attack that Los Blancos sport.

That is why scoring first will be tantamount to the Bavarians' success. Real Madrid is more than likely to score a goal or two at home, so Bayern has to go on the offensive in the early stages.

The club's chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, knows this. He told SID (via ESPN):

"

We have to try and put pinpricks in their defence to get a goal. Sitting back and defending won't achieve anything against such a strong attacking side.

"

Playing not to lose is the last thing Bayern Munich wants to do in this match.

Los Blancos are coming off a huge win over rivals Barcelona this weekend and just watched the Catalan giants go down to Chelsea.

The La Liga title is not only theirs to lose, but they have to believe this is their year to steal everything away from their Spanish rivals. 

If Bayern allows Real to tie things up early on aggregate, or even take the lead, things could quickly spiral out of control.

If the roles are reversed, though, a chance to play for the Champions League title in their home stadium is a legitimate possibility for Bayern Munich.