Harry Kane, Michael Olise & Luis Diaz 'mesh together like a Swiss watch' but Bayern legend issues 'mentality' warning ahead of Real Madrid match

The Bundesliga champions travel to Munich to face Madrid in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday. Ahead of the showdown, German legend Matthaus has issued a stern warning to the Bavarian squad in a recent column. While cautioning the team about the formidable challenge posed by the Spanish giants, the former Ballon d'Or winner highlighted the pivotal roles of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz, praising the trio as the key assets capable of steering Bayern toward European glory.

In his latest column for Sky Sports, Matthaus stated: "The record champions have a very special offense this season, which for me can be compared to a Swiss watch. One gear fits perfectly into the next, there is a precise coordination of the individual parts and so the end result is such a high-quality total work of art. This year, with Olise, Kane, Diaz, [Jamal] Musiala, [Lennart] Karl and [Serge] Gnabry, you have such a diverse and versatile quality in the front axis that it is impressive. In Europe, only Barcelona can keep up, who are similarly versatile in attack. These two teams have the strongest offense at the moment."

Despite the domestic dominance, the challenge of facing Real Madrid in the Champions League remains a different beast entirely. Matthaus warned that the prestige of the Spanish side and the atmosphere of their home ground can overwhelm teams that are not mentally prepared. For the Bayern legend, the tactical setup is secondary to the psychological battle that awaits the players in the Spanish capital.

Matthaus explained: "In my view, in Madrid it's not primarily about the individual players, but only about the ream mentality. Bayern must keep their calm and be mentally present, because a very special magic can arise in the Bernabeu, which many teams have already felt, especially in the Champions League. Even the table situation in Spain or Real's recent defeat against Mallorca doesn't play a role there, the Champions League is something else and Bayern must be there in their heads at the decisive moments."

One area where Matthaus believes Bayern hold a distinct advantage is in the locker room atmosphere. Under Vincent Kompany, the squad appears to have shed the internal friction that occasionally plagued previous campaigns. This sense of collective purpose was evident during recent celebrations for younger squad members, suggesting a level of harmony that may be lacking in the star-studded Madrid ranks.

The 1990 World Cup winner noted: "I see Bayern as favourites to progress. Vincent Kompany's team makes a more stable impression on me, especially in terms of body language. There is no jealousy, which might have been an issue in the past, but FC Bayern is currently one big unit. You saw again in Freiburg how the whole team joined in the celebrations for the Karl goal, welcoming the youngster brilliantly. The Bayern squad has shown that it is not made up of egoists, while at Real Madrid on the other side, vanities also come to the fore again and again and this feeling of team cohesion often seems to be missing."

Just 24 hours ahead of kick-off, there are still doubts about whether or not Kane will be involved in the starting XI. The England captain continues to recover from a lingering ankle injury that sidelined him for international friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, as well as the recent Bundesliga fixture against Freiburg. While Kompany and team-mate Joshua Kimmich remain confident he will feature, Matthaus insists they still stand a chance against Madrid if he fails to recover in time.

Matthaus concluded: "In Madrid, Harry Kane should be back in the mix after his minor injury. Bayern proved in Freiburg, but also in several games before that, that they can do it without him, but the person of Kane will be important. In big games you need big players on the pitch and such a game is coming on Tuesday. The mere presence of Kane on the grass is already significant; it is important for your own team to have such a personality standing on the pitch, but also for the opponents, who know and respect Kane's scoring rate and abilities."