'We need tactics, but also luck' – Tuchel says Bayern up against Madrid 'aura'

Thomas Tuchel has warned his Bayern Munich team they will not only be facing Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals, but also going up against Los Blancos' European "aura".

While Tuchel will leave the Allianz Arena having suffered the ignominy of overseeing Bayern's first failure to win the Bundesliga title since 2012, he could yet bring Europe's top prize to Bavaria.

Bayern reached the last four with a 3-2 aggregate triumph over Arsenal, but they face a daunting task against the team that eliminated holders Manchester City in the last round.

Bayern are winless in their last seven games against Madrid, losing six and drawing one, and Los Blancos have won on their last three trips to the Allianz Arena – the longest winning streak ever recorded by a visiting team at Bayern in European Cup/Champions League history.

Coming up against Madrid in a competition they regard as their own, Tuchel believes, presents an additional challenge.

"When you're playing against Real Madrid, you're also up against the aura and the legend that surrounds them," Tuchel said at Monday's pre-match press conference.

3 - With Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich, three German teams have reached the European Cup semi-finals in one season for the first time in 29 years - the same three clubs also did so in 1994/95. Statement.@Bundesliga_EN pic.twitter.com/kR4E1eUJEl

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) April 18, 2024

"Obviously we need tactics, but also some luck. You can achieve a lot with tactics. The approach is the car, and the players drive it.

"We need to find a good balance and moments where we have solutions. The players also need freedom to bring it to life.

"But obviously we also need some luck in the game. We need to coax out that luck a bit as well."

Bayern versus Madrid is already the most played fixture in European Cup/Champions League history, taking place 26 times with 24 of those coming in the knockout stages.

Tuchel believes the tie would have been a fitting final, adding: "The semi-final already feels a bit like the final. My approach is to line up like a final.

"We won't approach it with the background that there's still a game to play. We want to play the game in isolation. We have the freedom, we'll put everything in tomorrow and then we'll see."