Thomas Tuchel praises 'extraordinary' Jude Bellingham as Bayern Munich prepare to tackle Real Madrid 'aura'

Thomas Tuchel has said that Bayern Munich are “well aware” of the threat posed by “extraordinary” Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg.

Bellingham has been in sensational form in his debut season with Real, scoring 17 times in La Liga and four in the Champions League.

He has been one of their most important players this season and is targeting a club and country treble over the next few months.

Bayern will be looking to put a stop to that as they face Real in the most played semi-final in the competition's history.

"Jude is extraordinary,” said Bayern head coach Tuchel ahead of the first leg, which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Tuesday, April 30.

“He was fantastic here in the Bundesliga, how he progressed shows the level of personality he has, it's only possible with a huge personality.

"Everyone who plays for Madrid plays with the pressure of the shirt. He plays with the pressure to play with this club and all the expectations.

“He handles it like he's never done anything else. But we are well aware of it and will try and find solutions tomorrow.”

Tuchel has Champions League pedigree having won the competition with Chelsea in 2021 and reached the final with Paris Saint-Germain a year earlier.

But Real are 14-time winners and Tuchel admits Bayern are “also up against the aura, the legend that surrounds them”.

“You need luck, momentum, freedom, the whole package to overcome Real Madrid in the semi-finals," Tuchel added.

"Right now we have a good mix between anticipation and tension.”

Looking ahead to the first leg at the Allianz Arena, Tuchel said: “You can achieve a lot with tactics. The approach is the car, and the players have to drive it.

“We need to find a good balance and moments where we have the right solutions."

Tuchel has said he would make a "last-minute" decision on whether Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala, Matthijs de Ligt, Konrad Laimer and Dayot Upamecano were fit to play.

But Serge Gnabry is set to return from injury and Alphonso Davies, who was suspended for the quarter-final second leg against Arsenal, is available.

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