Bayern facing mentality monster Atletico

The 2015/2016 Champions League is special due to the fact that there are no favorites anymore. Or would one really call Bayern Munich's opponents in the semi-final, Atletico Madrid, an underdog? Is Manchester City, having beaten a previous favorite Paris St. Germain, now the underdog having to facing ten-time winner Real Madrid?

Just remember the Spaniard's heroic achievement in knocking out title-holder Barcelona in two quarterfinals. Since then so-called favorites have shrunk into ordinary mortal clubs. Football fans, loving excitement and thrilling games, might as well celebrate the new motto of the most important European club event: Mentality beats quality.

Another thing you can bet on is: Neither Bayern Munich nor Real Madrid will be that partial to the new story too much. Both have reached a minimal goal as they qualified for the semifinals. And both might be happy not to have to face each other right now as fans can continue to dream of a Real Madrid vs Bayern final. That of course is a story Manchester City and Atletico Madrid don't like too much. Bayern will face Atletico on April 27 (in Madrid) and May 3. Manchester City will play Real on April 26 and May 4.

But honestly who wants to see a final between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid on May 28 in Milan? It might be a provoking question and fans of such a duel could again say: A vital part of team sports is mentality beats quality. It is now the job of Real and Bayern to return things to normal and beat the mentality teams such as Man City and Atletico. What now speaks for that theory? Both duels have never been played before in the Champions League which is another charming coincidence.

As for Bayern Munich you must ask: Would it have been better to play Real or Manchester City right now? In case of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola and Bayern might be happy not to play against Guardiola's future club as the 45-year-old Spaniard will take over the English club this summer after three years at Bayern. Or would it be a piece of cake to face Real and the most impressive Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 16 goals in Champions League this season, which is exactly the number of goals Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski have managed to score together?

Assuming the duel of Bayern vs Atletico is not a game with anyone being the favorite, it will match the best offense (28 goals) with the best defense (only five goals against). And Bayern in preparation for the challenging games against Atletico will analyze the quarterfinal games of Atletico against Barcelona for a good reason. Like Barcelona, Bayern's usual strategy is to dominate a game by retaining possession of the ball. It might be a good idea to avoid the mistakes the 2015 Champions League winner Barcelona made against the former underdog Atletico.

Bayern will have to dig deep holes to get through the Spanish team' s defense. The Germans have recently not been overwhelmingly successful against teams that have parked the bus. To be successful Bayern will need unexpected ideas and the power of Arjen Robben, Kingsley Coman, Douglas Costa and Franck Ribery doing the job along the flanks and their mentality monster Arturo Vidal. On top they have to hope for striker Robert Lewandowski to return to goal-scoring form.

And Real will hope for more Cristiano Ronaldo magic after he scored all three Real goals in the second leg against VfL Wolfsburg following a 2-0 defeat. Ronaldo could well be the decisive man in this season's competition. Some assume the Portuguese striker was the man that started the rot at Barcelona's by scoring the winning goal in "El Classico" a few weeks ago. Since then Barcelona seems to have gone off the boil.

Atletico's victory against Barcelona shows you can't afford to show any weakness when it comes to the decisive games in the Champions League. If you do, the result might be mentality beats quality. Pep Guardiola and Bayern Director of Football sports Matthias Sammer might have felt just this when they demanded more mentality from their team. Champions League, for sure, is not a job you can do without doing that a bit extra. "Football is passion," said Guardiola. Having to play against a determined side such as Atletico, his team should sit upright and listen.

Atletico seems to be a team that never gives up. Machine-like they run and run. Bayern will have to take all of their faith into their hands to make Atletico work hard and struggle. The two capital city clubs know just how hard. Real Madrid struggled in the 2014 final and were very lucky to beat their near neighbors 4-1. When it comes to Atletico the first word Pep Guardiola says is "mentality".

Not only having beaten Barcelona will enforce Atletico's mentality, but the club as well still has chances to play a role in the Spanish Championship. Therefore Guardiola says: "Atletico has the best atmosphere in Europe. We have to be prepared for that." For Matthias Sammer, things are obvious: "Three weeks ago we all named Barcelona as the big favorite. This shows us, if you don't give 100 percent, meaning two to three less, you might fail. The games against Atletico will be what you call extreme." Endit