Christoph Kramer didn’t bother with diplomacy. Standing pitchside on Prime Video before kick-off, the 2014 World Cup winner sketched out a brutal verdict on Real Madrid’s present – and a glowing endorsement of Bayern Munich’s chances.
For Kramer, the balance of power in Europe has shifted. And it starts in midfield.
Life after Kroos and Modric
“Real Madrid have always had players who didn’t cover as much ground. Top teams like Bayern Munich take control of the game,” Kramer said, recalling how the Spaniards so often survived those periods under pressure.
The escape route used to be obvious. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric would take the ball, slow the storm, and then twist the match to their will. Time and again, they dragged games back from the brink.
“But then it was (Toni) Kroos and (Luka) Modric who turned the game back in their favour. And suddenly a match that seemed unbeatable is turned on its head.”
That, Kramer argued, is precisely what Bayern no longer have to worry about.
Kroos and Modric are no longer under contract with Real. For the German pundit, that is not a footnote. It is the key detail that tilts this tie towards the Bundesliga champions.
“They no longer have those two players, and that’s why I believe Real Madrid will find themselves in a sort of vicious circle today. Bayern will play wave after wave and they simply won’t be able to break free.”
The image is clear: Bayern suffocating the game with their pressing and possession, Real pinned back without their two midfield escape artists to dictate the tempo and relieve the pressure.
“They won’t win another big game”
Kramer went even further, questioning whether Real’s glittering attack can still carry them at the highest level.
Although he acknowledged the quality in the final third, he dismissed the idea that the forwards alone can tilt a heavyweight contest.
“Although Real still have a strong line-up, particularly in attack, these players cannot decide a match on their own,” he insisted, before doubling down on a prediction he made long before this tie.
“I said this a year and a half ago: with all the top stars they have, Real Madrid won’t win another big game, and I still stand by that statement.”
It is a sweeping claim, the kind that tends to age loudly one way or the other. But Kramer did not stand alone.
Hummels points to Courtois-shaped gap
Mats Hummels, alongside Kramer in the studio, backed the assessment “100 per cent” and added another layer: the absence of Thibaut Courtois.
While Kroos and Modric controlled games with the ball, Courtois controlled them with his hands. The Belgian has been a towering presence in Real’s recent Champions League triumphs, and Hummels was quick to underline just how decisive he has been.
“A decisive factor in recent years has simply been Thibaut Courtois, who has won them so many matches and titles here. He hasn’t received enough credit for that. I’d say he’s single-handedly decided at least two finals, plus matches in the rounds leading up to them.”
Courtois remains under contract at the Bernabéu, but a muscle tear rules him out of both legs against Bayern. That absence, in Hummels’ eyes, strips Real of a safety net every bit as valuable as a world-class playmaker.
In his place, Andriy Lunin will start in goal for Los Blancos. Hummels was careful not to disparage the Ukrainian, yet he drew a sharp line between a solid replacement and a generational match-winner.
“Lunin isn’t a bad goalkeeper, but he doesn’t have that quality. A goalkeeper who keeps you in the game is worth so much.”
Between Kramer and Hummels, the picture is stark: no Kroos, no Modric, no Courtois. Three pillars of control ripped out of a team that built its legend on surviving storms and punishing opponents at their most vulnerable.
Bayern, they argue, now have the platform to turn those storms into something far more ruthless.
