“It’s going to happen” - Thomas Tuchel insists Bayern Munich star will score vs Real Madrid in Champions League semi-final

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel is confident that German forward Serge Gnabry will score against Real Madrid in their upcoming Champions League semi-final clash.

The Bundesliga giants are going through a topsy-turvy season, which has seen their 11-year reign on the German top division ended by Bayer Leverkusen. However, Thomas Tuchel has led them to the semi-finals of the Champions League, after beating Lazio in the Round of 16 and Arsenal in the last eight.

Tuchel is set to leave the Bavarians at the end of the season, and he will be hoping to add another massive trophy to his cabinet before he does.

Speaking to the press ahead of the first leg of Bayern Munich's semi-final against Real Madrid, the manager predicted which of his players would find the net (via Madrid Universal):

"Gnabry is going to score against Real Madrid. I don’t know how I know, but it’s going to happen."

Gnabry has had an injury-riddled 2023-24 campaign, making only 17 appearances across competitions and contributing with five goals and one assist. One of those goals came against Arsenal in the quarter-finals at the Emirates Stadium.

Tuchel also talked about Los Blancos, claiming that his side are confident about securing the win against the Spanish giants:

“The semi-final already feels a bit like the final. My approach is to line up like a final. We want to get to Wembley and win there. We are ready, we have a lot of confidence. It was important to beat Arsenal. Now the next step is against Real Madrid."

The upcoming encounter won't be Tuchel's first clash against Los Blancos in the UEFA Champions League, with his last meeting against them ending in a defeat and an exit for his former club Chelsea. The tactician talked about former games against Real Madrid and added:

“We faced Real Madrid twice with Chelsea, also previously with PSG and Dortmund. The most notable difference from the last game with Chelsea is that Karim Benzema is gone. He was the focal point at the time."

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Bayern Munich set to host Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena

The Allianz Arena is set to host a battle of European giants on Tuesday, April 30, as Bayern lock horns with Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. It seems set to be a nerve-racking clash for Bayern fans, who will be hoping their club can end the season on a high.

Carlo Ancelotti's men will be looking to improve on their performance against Manchester City in the quarters, where they picked up two draws and had to win via a penalty shootout.

However, they will be wary of the disgruntled Bayern Munich, who have been dumped out of the Bundesliga title race and knocked out of the DFB-Pokal. Both teams will return to league matches before they meet again at the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg, which will decide the final winner of the semi-final.