Jupp Heynckes: Passion the key against Madrid goal machine

Jupp Heynckes enjoyed a pleasant reunion on Monday when he met Manuel ‘Manolo’ Sanchis, the team captain when Heynckes coached Real Madrid to Champions League glory in 1998. Sanchis was a one-club man who knows the Spanish giants through and through. “He tells me Real have huge respect for us," Heynckes revealed, although the Spaniard also had a warning for his former boss: “Real Madrid are very, very good at present." The two statements neatly sum up the general mood ahead of the mouth-watering Champions League semi-final first leg between Bayern and Madrid on Tuesday evening (Live in English from 8.45 pm CET on FCB.de Web Radio). Real are just about favourites, but even faced with the La Liga leaders, Bayern have the potential “on two good days", according to Thomas Muller, to meet Madrid head on, living up to their reputation in Spain as la bestia negra, the black beast. “In the Champions League this season, we've shown we’re capable of big performances and very good football," reflected Heynckes, “I'm confident we won't merely turn in a good display, but we'll be successful too." An additional incentive for the home team is the prospect of a place in the final at their home ground. “It's making my players extremely motivated. How often do you get this chance as a player? Perhaps once in your life," the head coach remarked. Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge spoke of “our greatest dream, which we all share," although he also struck a note of caution: “Simply reaching the semi-finals is a gigantic success. FC Bayern Munich is one of the four best teams in Europe – and even we cannot take something like that for granted." Heynckes: Real are better than last year Munich's approach to the meeting with the European heavyweights, who have lost only twice in La Liga and not at all in the Champions League this term, combines confidence with great respect. “They were as much as nine points ahead of Barcelona at one stage, which shows you how good they are," said Heynckes, “they’re a lot more effective and better than last season, with spectacular attacking football." Real are certainly a scoring machine this term with 107 goals in 33 league fixtures, so Heynckes urged his men to throw a spanner in the Spaniards’ works with focused defending: “We have to match them and win the midfield battle, so we can launch attacks of our own." Alongside tactical discipline, the key factors would be “desire, passion and a yearning for success. When I see my team, I sense a huge match coming up," the 66-year-old continued. Small things make the difference Captain Philipp Lahm confirmed the coach's inkling. “We’re really looking forward to it. It's a huge match between two superb teams. Very little else comes close, and the feeling isn't confined to the players and coaching staff, it also applies to the reporters and fans, to everyone who enjoys their football." The full-back firmly believes “the small things will make the difference”, and also made a promise: “We'll play aggressively and fight right to the end." In that case, the crowd will respond with magnificent support, as is so often the case when Bayern play at home in the Champions League. The club is depending on boisterous support from the 66,000 at the Allianz Arena. “It's a very important aspect. It'll be a fantastic atmosphere, and it can give us a boost at critical moments," Heynckes stated. Striker Mario Gomez feels much the same way: “It'll be seething and the fans will roar us on." For as Holger Badstuber put it: “You don't make it to the Champions League semi-finals every day."