ENGLAND may have no Premier League clubs left in the Champions League but two of the country’s biggest stars will go head to head for a place in the competition’s final.
Three Lions captain Harry Kane has been prolific for Bayern Munich despite the German giants failing to win the Bundesliga for the first time in 12 years.
Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, has lit up the Bernabeu during his debut season at Real Madrid.
England boss Gareth Southgate will no doubt be among the keenest of observers when the pair meet in the first leg in Munich on Tuesday.
Both men are set to be key to the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 campaign, but who will prevail at club level?
Bellingham had every top club fighting for his signature last summer after it became clear one of football’s leading young talents would be on the move.
The former Birmingham City player had starred at Borussia Dortmund and the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all reportedly went out of their way to convince Bellingham to join them.
But the pull of Real Madrid proved too much for the Stourbridge-born midfielder and he moved to Spain in an £89m transfer.
Having a price tag like that hanging over a player is one thing but how would Bellingham fare with the added pressure of being one of Real’s Galacticos?
Quite brilliantly is the answer. In all competitions, the England international has scored 21 goals and registered 10 assists in 36 games.
He has also scored injury-time winners against Barcelona home and away in La Liga to further cement his place as one of Real’s star men.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first season at the Bernabeu was more impressive in terms of goals, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner ended his first campaign without a trophy.
Bellingham, on the other hand, is on course for a La Liga title and three games away from winning the Champions League too.
With four goals and four assists in eight continental games so far this term, Bellingham is on a mission to bring the European Cup trophy back to the Spanish capital for the 15th time.
But in order to achieve that, he must first lead his side past Bayern and England team-mate Harry Kane.
If either Bellingham or Kane lift the Champions League this season, they may just go on to be the favourite for the Ballon d’Or come the end of the year.
Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel said his side need to find “solutions” to deal with Bellingham.
“Jude is extraordinary,” he said. “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 [on Tuesday].”
Kane joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur on a four-year deal last August for an initial 100m euros (£86.4m) plus add-ons.
While it was hoped he would hit the ground running given his obvious quality and ability, Spurs’ all-time top scorer has exceeded expectations at Bayern.
He has scored 42 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign for the Bundesliga giants, beating his previous best haul of 41 for Tottenham in 2017-18.
Thirty-five of those goals have been in the German top flight and he is six short of Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 goals in a Bundesliga season with three games left.
In 10 Champions League matches Kane has netted seven times and provided three assists, including a penalty in Bayern’s 2-2 draw in the quarter-final first leg against old rivals Arsenal.
Only Kylian Mbappe has scored more than Kane in this season’s competition.
However, the Bavarian giants are without a win in their past seven knockout meetings against Real Madrid – drawing one and losing six.
With the Bundesliga title already relinquished and manager Tuchel departing at the end of the season, this is the last chance for Bayern to end the campaign with silverware, and Real boss Carlo Ancelotti knows they will pose a big threat.
“We are two teams that don’t have a very clear identity, and we can play the games in different ways,” he said.
“In terms of quality, they are strong in transition, they can change their style and they are very dangerous.
“But it’s only the first leg, it’s a 180 [minutes] tie which we face with confidence, but in the knowledge that we are up against a quality opponent with very strong individuals.”
