Why Julian Nagelsmann rebuffed Bayern (2024)

• 24’: Vinicius Jr opened scoring with cool finish against run of play
• 53’: Leroy Sane levelled by beating Andriy Lunin at his near post
• 57’: Harry Kane then scored from the spot after Jamal Musiala fouled
• 83’: But Vinicius scored a penalty of his own after Kim Min-jae error
• Winners to face Paris Saint-Germain or Borussia Dortmund in final
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Bayern Munich had previously been linked with reappointing Julian Nagelsmann as their manager in time for the new campaign.

But Nagelsmann, who is currently Germany’s head coach, decided against a reunion.

Read more on that decision here.

Bayern Munich supporters last week petitioned the club to retain Thomas Tuchel as their head coach for next season, saying other candidates “don’t hold a candle” to the 50-year-old.

A change.org petition entitled ‘We want Juppel (Tuchel) and not (Ralf) Rangnick!’ quickly reached more than 10,000 signatures.

Austria head coach Rangnick confirmed last week that he was in talks with Bayern over replacing Tuchel. Bayer Leverkusen’s title-winning boss Xabi Alonso had previously been the favourite to take over before he announced last month that he will remain with his current club next season and Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann turned down the chance to return to Bayern and chose to continue with the national team last week.

Joshua Kimmich also took the time to single out Jamal Musiala for praise. The 21-year-old will have to pass a late fitness test before today’s game and Bayern will be hoping the forward is deemed fit enough to start.

“Jamal is generally a calm guy,” Kimmich replied when asked about his team-mate’s temperament. “He’s still very young but has a number of games under his belt. He's also maturing off the pitch. It felt like he was a little boy when he first trained with us. Now you can see he's a man and has developed off the pitch.”

Joshua Kimmich joined his manager at Monday’s pre-match press conference and the 29-year-old utility man urged his team-mates to be brave on the ball against Real Madrid.

He said: “"We haven't had much time to prepare. Real's strengths are in transition. It'll be a mix.

“It's important to defend well, but we still shouldn't hide. We need to be brave and have possession. It's about the balance between attacking and defending, between high and deep defending, and always having the courage to attack.”

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has plenty of experience managing teams against real Madrid, having previously faced the Spanish side while in charge of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.

And the German said Real Madrid have markedly changed how they play since those encounters, primarily because of the departure of Karim Benzema.

“We faced Real twice with Chelsea, also previously with PSG and Dortmund,” he said.

“The most notable difference from the last game with Chelsea is that Karim Benzema is gone. He was the focal point at the time.

“They've made up for that with a change of system. Many approaches are still similar but how they play has changed, also through Jude Bellingham. We need to find a good balance.”

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel faced the press yesterday and replied to a question about his tactical approach for today’s game by insisting his side would also need a healthy dollop of luck.

“Obviously we need tactics, but also some luck,” he said. “You can achieve a lot with tactics. The approach is the car, and the players drive it.

“We need to find a good balance and moments where we have solutions. The players also need freedom to bring it to life. But obviously we also need some luck in the game. We need to coax out that luck a bit as well.

“Against Real, you're obviously also competing against the legend, the shirt. We'll focus on content. Everyone's looking forward to a great game.”

There are no Premier League clubs left in this season’s Champions League, but two of the country’s biggest stars will be going head to head later today.

England captain Harry Kane set a personal record during Saturdays’ 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. His brace means he has now scored 42 times this season, the most the 30-year-old has managed in a single campaign.

Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, has been a revelation for Real in his debut season in Spain, scoring 21 times in 36 games in a more advanced number 10 role.

Who do you reckon will come out on top? Let us know by emailing livebloguk@theathletic.com.

Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo both missed out against Real Sociedad but are expected to return.

Dani Carvajal is suspended which means Lucas Vazquez is set to start at right-back.

Bayern Munich will assess the fitness of Konrad Laimer, Matthijs de Ligt and Dayot Upamecano ahead of today’s game.

Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane could also be doubts.

In the United Kingdom, the game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1. Coverage starts at 7pm BST.

In the United States the game will be on CBS and Paramount +.

Today’s Champions League game between the Bundesliga’s Bayern Munich and La Liga’s Real Madrid gets underway at 9pm local time.

That’s 8pm BST, 3pm EDT and midday PDT.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s Champions League game between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

If Bayern Munich are going to salvage anything from a disappointing season they will need to be at their best today. They lost their Bundesliga crown to Bayer Leverkusen — the first time in 12 years they have not won the German league — but overcame Arsenal to reach the final four of this season’s European Cup.

Real Madrid also overcame Premier League opposition, eliminating the reigning champions Manchester City on penalties. They are now the bookmakers’ favourites to win this season’s Champions League and will take some stopping today.