German football legend Franz Beckenbauer says Bayern Munich can beat Real Madrid in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg, if they learn from their mid-week German league defeat at Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern lost 1-0 at the league leaders on Wednesday, with Dutch star Arjen Robben seeing a late penalty saved, and the defeat leaves second-placed Munich six points behind with four games left in the Bundesliga.
Real Madrid now stand between Bayern and a place in the Champions League final at Munich's Allianz Arena on May 19 and Beckenbauer says the hosts should aim for victory at home in Tuesday's first leg.
"If they produce the same performance they showed in the second half (at Dortmund), then they certainly have a chance to turn over Madrid," said ex-Bayern president Beckenbauer, who captained and coached West Germany to World Cup titles.
History favours the Bavarians as Madrid have lost 10 of their 18 matches against Bayern and in four previous ties between the teams at this stage, the Germans have gone on to reach the final on three occasions.
Defeat in mid-week has left Bayern facing an uphill task in the league, but they remain in contention for two other titles, with a German Cup final against Dortmund coming up on May 19.
"We still have two competitions. These are the goals that we should focus on now," said captain Philipp Lahm.
Coach Jupp Heynckes has said Bayern need a win at the Allianz Arena against Mainz on Saturday in the league to boost confidence ahead of the visit of Madrid.
"We need a positive mood for Madrid, so we need to focus on the next game and that is Mainz," he said.
Source: AFP
