Even though they were at home, Chelsea played a very defensive game against Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal tie, so it came as no surprise when they did it again at Camp Nou on Tuesday. Bayern Munich don't have quite the talent that Real Madrid has and they'll be going on the road to the Santiago Bernabeu with a one-goal lead, just like Chelsea, but don't expect them to camp 10 men behind the ball for the entire game.
There are a lot of really good reasons that Bayern won't be sitting back for the entirety of the game. Here are a few of them.
Bayern Munich are probably better than Chelsea
This might be controversial, and it might not be true when Chelsea have their entire first team available, but the team that Bayern will start on Wednesday is more talented and in better form than the Chelsea side that started on Tuesday. They can play their normal game against Real Madrid. Chelsea couldn't play an attacking game against Barcelona, so they didn't, and they were right not to.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is a monster (and Luiz Gustavo is okay too)
Schweinsteiger's been in and out of the lineup for Bayern due to injuries this season, and there's been a big drop off in Bayern's play when he hasn't been able to suit up. He played just over an hour in the first leg, as he wasn't fully fit, but he should be able to bring his best for 90 minutes in the second leg. Both Schweinsteiger and Luiz Gustavo are better ball-winners than Chelsea's midfielders, and Schweinsteiger is a better passer than all of them as well.
Real Madrid don't have a Sergio Busquets
Xabi Alonso is a spectacular passer and Sami Khedira is a track star with crazy stamina, but Madrid don't play with a player like Busquets, a defensive midfielder whose main attributes are his positioning sense and his technical tackling ability. No one is going to steal the ball off the feet of Toni Kroos without him knowing what happened.
Real Madrid have an away goal
Chelsea went to the Camp Nou defending a 1-0 lead, but Bayern's 2-1 lead is a completely different animal. Because Madrid have an away goal, a 1-0 win at home takes them through to the final. Chelsea could afford to give up one goal and go to extra time. Bayern Munich do not have the same luxury, so they need to attack and score an away goal of their own.
We'll have pre-game and live game coverage in our Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich StoryStream. For more on the two teams, head over to Real Madrid blog Managing Madrid and Bayern Munich blog Bavarian Football Works.