"They're in top form": Uli Hoeneß warns against Real Madrid and dampens the euphoria at FC Bayern Munich

"They don’t play that well, but they’re outstanding in terms of experience and they’re in peak condition," warned the FCB’s honorary president ahead of the quarter-final matches against Los Blancos. "They’re not doing that well in the league again, but they can rely on their wealth of experience."

The spirit within the record champions’ squad is reminiscent of their most successful days. Every player seems to be fully committed to the grand goal of the treble – and as a result, manager Vincent Kompany’s side are currently delighting the crowds on a regular basis. "We haven’t had such great opportunities in terms of the standard of play for a long time," emphasised the Bavarian club boss, though he added that it would be "utterly presumptuous" to assume they would progress.

In the round of 16, the Madrid side managed to knock out Manchester City, led by star manager and former Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, in impressive fashion (3-0 and 2-1) – and that despite the fact that the club, despite its star power, has felt like it has been in crisis all season.

Hoeneß may also have been thinking back to the last three knockout ties against Real, in which Munich always came off second best. One difference that could give FCB a potential advantage: this time, the second leg will once again be played at the Allianz Arena. Furthermore, the record champions are coming off a comfortable round of 16 tie, in which they dispatched BVB’s conquerors, Atalanta Bergamo, 10-2 over two legs. Furthermore, FCB will have Joshua Kimmich and Michael Olise back for the matches against Madrid after they served their yellow card suspensions last Wednesday, whilst several key Real players go into the quarter-final first leg with yellow cards already on their record and top goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois may also be out injured.

Fundamentally, the 74-year-old did not want to be tempted to simply attribute a possible treble to the team’s current form. “That’s too optimistic.” The honorary president also sees a major challenge in the DFB Cup, where Munich will face Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-finals in April: “That will be tough.” At least when it comes to the league title, Hoeneß was willing to commit himself and “would say, we will be German champions”.

In the league, the lead over closest rivals Borussia Dortmund stands at nine points ahead of matchday 27.