"That's incredible!" What impresses Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham about Bayern Munich

For Real Madrid and Bellingham, the priority is now damage limitation in a campaign that has already hit rock bottom in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey. Trailing Barcelona by nine points with only seven La Liga matches left, the title is practically out of reach, while the Copa del Rey campaign ended in embarrassment with a second-round exit to Albacete. That defeat marked Álvaro Arbeloa’s first game in charge after Xabi Alonso stepped down shortly following the Supercopa de España loss to Barça.

Now, according to Bellingham, Tuesday’s trip to Munich represents the final opportunity to “make people forget all the bad things that have happened this season. It’s very important for this club and for all the players. We want to still be playing for something at the end of the season; we still want to win the Champions League, and we all know what’s at stake and what tomorrow is all about.”

One thing is clear: Real Madrid will go into the second leg against Bayern Munich trailing. Bayern won at the Bernabéu for the first time in 25 years, securing a 2-1 victory. “Every defeat in the Champions League feels like a disaster,” Bellingham said, “but now it’s about putting everything into this match. We have to be there, we have to show what we’re made of. We can’t hide.”

Having only recently returned from a muscle injury and still short of full fitness, the 22-year-old carries few positive memories of the Allianz Arena. The 22-year-old has not won any of his five away matches with BVB or Real, and in every Dortmund defeat he suffered, they shipped at least three goals. “Every time I’ve been here with Dortmund, it’s been a bad experience,” he concluded.

Recent results have done little to ease that task, as Bellingham acknowledged. “The intensity with which they play is incredible,” he said, praising Munich’s high-pressing style under Vincent Kompany while singling out Harry Kane for praise.

“Harry is an incredible player; it’s incredible to see the fantastic form he’s reached,” he gushed about his national team captain, expressing sympathy for his “brothers in Dortmund”, who will once again have to bow to Kane and Bayern in the title race this year. Now it is up to him to achieve what his former club failed to do. “We want to stop Bayern and Harry!”

Manager Álvaro Arbeloa vowed to “make history”. He added: “We all believe we can turn this around. We are Real Madrid. We have fantastic players, all of whom are 100 per cent fit. I can promise that we will give everything for this badge.”

The Royals will be without suspended midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, injured goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (muscle tear) and defender Raul Asencio (gastrointestinal problems). That ongoing slump—now three games without a win—only adds to the sense of crisis surrounding Arbeloa’s position. 

Elimination in Munich could cost him his job, so he adopted a defiant tone before the showdown: “We created plenty of chances and conceded very little. Now we’re travelling to Germany fully convinced we can win—and, if necessary, die for the cause.”