Head-to-head: Ronaldo v Lewandowski

After heroics from Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino gave Liverpool a whopping 5-2 advantage over Roma in the Champions League semi-finals, we turn our eyes to tonight's fixture that sees Robert Lewandowski's Bayern Munich host Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid.

With 42 goals in all competitions this season, Real Madrid's five-time Ballon d'Or winner just edges the Polish forward's tally of 39. Once scorer of five goals in nine minutes, Lewandowski's inferior goalscoring record this season does not make him incapable of reaching Ronaldo's heights. 

Prior to tonight's game, Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes took it upon himself to warn the media of his star man's talent: "In Robert Lewandowski, we also have a striker who has already scored 39 goals this season. So you might ask: how do you stop Lewandowski?"

Nevertheless, the Champions League has become CR7's competition in recent years. With 120 goals in 150 games, the Portuguese is UCL's all-time top scorer and has shown no signs of wavering. With braces against both PSG and Juventus in the knockout stages, and scorer of a jaw-dropping bicycle kick, Ronaldo has aged like a fine wine on Europe's biggest stage. 

 

24 April 2018

Whichever way the result falls when Bayern and Real face off at the Allianz Arena this evening, any neutral watching the game will hope to see both men up to their usual exploits. Only time will tell whether it's Ronaldo or Lewandowski who will shine the brightest...