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20:38 - The stadium announcer is running through the teams while Bayern do that thing they do before games when they turn the lights on and off every few seconds. Not quite sure why that's needed, the fans seem to be doing a pretty good job of generating some atmosphere.
20:30 - The players are out warming up on the Allianz Arena pitch and Real Madrid have tweeted a couple of warning shots to their German hosts....
20:21 - Just over 20 minutes until kick off, time for a little stat attack, courtesy of Opta.
20:13 - There's plenty of history, recent and not so recent, with these two. It's their 18th meeting in Europe's top club football competition, a record. Both teams are spearheaded by prolific forwards, with Ronaldo on an 11-game run of consecutive goals in the Champions League and Robert Lewandowski enjoying another excellent season.
"Cristiano has had an incredible career, but we have Robert Lewandowski, who has scored 38 goals (this season), so the question should be asked who will stop him?" said Jupp Heynckes before the game.
20:00 - The teams have been announced and Bayern have gone very attacking, with Javi Martinez their only holding midfielder. The old guard Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery join forces again out wide while James Rodriguez will look to get one over his parent club. Real's line up is largely as expected, with Isco and Lucas Vazquez preferred to Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale as Cristiano Ronaldo's supporting cast.
19:45 - Welcome to our live ticker of all the action in the Champions League semifinal first leg at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The game kicks off at 20:45 CEST (1845 GMT), and our coverage here will begin around an hour before that.
If you're itching to get started already and can't wait any longer, here's our full preview of tonight's match.
And here's a trip down memory lane, looking at the numerous past meetings between the Bavarian and Castilian giants:
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
1975-76: Müller mauls Madrid
Bayern Munich got the better of Real Madrid the first time these two sides met. Gerd Müller (left) scored three goals in the two legs as Bayern topped Madrid 3-1 on aggregate in the 1976 semifinals. The Bavarias went on to defeat Saint Etienne in the final to lift their third straight European Cup.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
1986-87: Juanito stamps Matthäus' face
After Lothar Matthäus and Chendo got involved in a scrap in the 1987 semifinal, Juanito (far left) stormed through the ruckus to plant his foot into the German midfielder's torso. He then connected with Matthäus' face and was duly sent off. Bayern won the match 4-1 to progress, but they lost to Porto. Juanito's Madrid career ended in disgrace as he was banned for five years from UEFA competitions.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
1987-88: Real's revenge
Bayern were cruising to yet another victory over Real Madrid after storming to a 3-0 lead in the first leg of the quarterfinals. But the match ended 3-2 after Madrid scored two goals in six minutes, and Real finished the job with a 2-0 victory at the Bernabeu.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
1999-2000: A rivalry is born
The Bayern-Real rivalry intensified in the 1999-2000 Champions League as the two sides squared off four times in the rebranded competition. Bayern earned the nickname "La Bestia Negra" — or "The Black Beast" — after twice demolishing Madrid 4-2 in the second group stage. But Madrid had the last laugh, downing Bayern 3-2 on aggregate in the semifinals before eventually win the title.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
2000-01: Bayern back with a bang
Giovane Elber scored in both legs as Bayern defeated Real 3-1 on aggregate in their semifinal rematch in 2001. The German club then defeated Valencia 5-4 on penalties in the final, ending a 25-year drought in Europe's premier competition.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
2001-02: Madrid prevail despite late heroics
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Bayern salvaged the first leg of the semifinals with two late goals from Steffen Effenberg and Claudio Pizarro. But the Bavarians couldn't build on their late heroics in Madrid, dropping the second leg 2-0 and losing 3-1 on aggregate. Real Madrid topped another German opponent in the final, defeating Leverkusen 2-1 to lift their sixth title.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
2003-04: Zizou strikes
The Round of 16 tie was in the balance after a 1-1 draw in Munich, but Zinedine Zidane stole the show with the decisive strike in a 1-0 victory. The consolation for Bayern? A fresh-faced 19-year-old named Bastian Schweinsteiger got his first taste of European football.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
2006-07: Lightning Makaay
After Madrid won the first leg 3-2, Bayern's Dutch maestro Roy Makaay scored the Champions League's fastest ever goal — 10.2 seconds after kickoff — to help Bayern to a dramatic victory over Madrid in the Round of 16 second leg. Bayern went through on away goals after winning the return leg in Munich 2-1.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
2011-12: Neuer the wall
Manuel Neuer celebrated his first season at Bayern Munich with a monstrous display in the Champions League semifinals. The tie went to penalties after both legs ending 2-1, and Neuer saved spot kicks from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka before Bastian Schweinsteiger converted the winning strike. But Bayern would lose the final, which was in their home stadium, to Chelsea, also on penalties.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
2013-14: Embarrassed Bayern hit for five
Pep Guardiola's Bayern were totally outclassed in the Champions League semifinals as Ronaldo and co. hammered the Bavarians 5-0 on aggregate. The rout included a 4-0 second-leg defeat in Munich — Bayern's worst home loss in the competition. Real, under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, went on to defeat Atletico Madrid in the final to clinch the coveted "La Decima" — their 10th title.
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The Champions League's greatest rivalry: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
2016-17: Ronaldo's extra-time controversy
After losing 2-1 the first leg of the quarterfinals at home, Bayern fought back to force the second leg into extra-time. But the comeback was short-lived as Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice. Both goals, however, appeared to be offside, while Arturo Vidal was shown a controversial red card. Ronaldo scored five in the 6-3 aggregate win and Madrid won their second consecutive title.
Author: Janek Speight
