The two-day Audi Cup tournament, which started on Tuesday will witness two giants of world football, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, in the finals of the competition at Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday. This may be a pre-season friendly, but when teams of such repute plays against one another, the match is sure to produce some magical moments.
And add to it the presence of quality players on both sides such as Gareth Bale, Douglas Costa, Arjen Robben and Xabi Alonso amongst others, there is a high element of entertainment factor.
Both the teams were clinical in their respective matches as Bayern Munich defeated AC Milan 3-0, while Real Madrid scored two goals past Tottenham Hotspur to set up a classic Audi Cup final. The two losing sides will square off for the third-fourth playoff match.
Bayern Munich will be eager to perform against the La Liga side, as the German club will also understand as to where they stand ahead of their domestic competition. Real Madrid have been impressive in the pre-season, defeating teams such as Inter Milan and Manchester City convincingly.
But Bayern Munich will be a strong test for Real Madrid as the German side are one of the strongest teams at home across Europe.
Bale scored a wonderful goal against his former team, Tottenham, and if the player comes up with a similar performance, the German club could be seen struggling.
Rafa Benitez was happy with the team's performance though he also stated the difficulty in preparing for a competition like this, which finishes within two days.
"Whatever we did today was down to the type of tournament this is. It's very difficult to manage two games in two days at this stage of the season. The changes were not reflective of anything other than finding a way to best manage the squad. Kroos will be a very important player because he possesses so much quality," he said.
Though Real Madrid might be taking this as a pre-season match, but they are aware of the importance of a victory against a team like Bayern Munich as it can help them increase their confidence as they prepare for the La Liga season, which starts on 22 August.
Bayern Munich had a relatively easy game against AC Milan, but the home team are aware of the tough competition, which will be brought by Real Madrid on Wednesday in the Audi Cup final.
Where to Watch
The Audi Cup Final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich is scheduled for 8:45 pm local time (12:15am IST, 7:45 pm BST, 2:45 pm ET), but unfortunately there is no live coverage on TV for viewers in India.
Viewers in the UK have the luxury of watching the Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich final on Premier Sports the live streaming options on Premier Player.
As for those in the US, they can watch the Audi Cup final Live on ESPN 2 with live streaming on Watch ESPN.
Viewers in Germany and Spain can watch the Audi Cup final Live on ZDF and beIN Sports Spain respectively.
