Bixente Lizarazu: "Bayern Munich have to play like tigers against Real Madrid"
Bayern Munich legend and Champions League winner with the club in 2001, Bixente Lizarazu says Bayern Munich have to play “the perfect game” against Real Madrid in their semi-final second leg on Tuesday.
CLICK here to follow all the build-up to Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich!
"If I were a Bayern player, I would fully believe that I can win at Real," Lizarazu told German sports magazine kicker.
"You have to go to Madrid with an animal spirit, you have to have the spirit of a tiger, not of a cat.”
Lizarazu, who lifted the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France, won six Bundesliga titles during a glittering seven-year spell in Bavaria. He also knows what it takes to win the Champions League, having done it with Bayern 17 years ago. In that 2000/01 campaign, Ottmar Hitzfeld's side overcame Real in the last four, winning 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Want more Bundesliga Action?
"I loved these games Bayern against Real, it's like the Clasico of the Champions League," Lizarazu said. "A good game will not be enough; Bayern has to play the perfect game. Last year I was in the Bernabeu, Bayern played great, only the dismissal of Arturo Vidal brought the turnaround."
Going to the Spanish capital chasing back a 2-1 deficit, Bayern know they must score at least twice against the record Champions League winners. In the quarter-finals, Madrid were beaten 3-1 on the night by Juventus, with a late Cristiano Ronaldo penalty securing their place against Bayern in the semi-finals.
Despite the work that needs doing, Lizarazu reiterates the fact that it has been done before, and can be done again.
“Juve won 3-1 at Real, why should Bayern not win 2-0? Everything is possible,” the Frenchman said.