993 total appearances 

©TM/IMAGO

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are two of the most prestigious clubs in the world and the European heavyweights meet in Munich tonight. The Bundesliga champions are strong favourites to progress into the Champions League semi-finals after claiming a famous 2-1 win in Madrid last week. It would be foolish to completely rule out Madrid given their history in the competition, but Bayern are an incredibly accomplished team under Vincent Kompany.

For many, Bayern are favourites to lift the famous trophy in Budapest in May and they are on course to complete a domestic treble. Both giants have won the Champions League this decade with Madrid the most decorated club with 15 titles to their name. Bayern are in third place with six. Ahead of the quarter-final second leg, we’ve formed a combined XI from both current squads based on appearances in the Champions League.

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: Champions League combined XI

Six Real Madrid stars and five Bayern Munich players form the team with a combined 993 appearances between them. No player at either club has amassed more appearances in the competition than Manuel Neuer with the Germany goalkeeper boasting 158 Champions League appearances – only Cristiano Ronaldo, Thomas Müller, Iker Casillas and Lionel Messi have more.

As the graphic above illustrates, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane form the strike partnership with 164 appearances between them and they are the top two scorers in the competition this season. Interestingly, David Alaba has the second most appearances to his name and he’s also represented both Madrid and Bayern. The Austrian defender made 91 Champions League games for Bundesliga side and he’s currently on 34 for the LaLiga giants.