Pace and away goals may decide both ties.

Possession, so the saying goes, is nine-tenths of the law, but, like many sayings, it’s wrong — at least in Champions League semi-finals.

Bayern Munich and Atletico both enjoyed the lion’s share of the ball in the first leg — 64% for Bayern and 62% for Atletico according to the official statistics — and neither team was able to turn that into goals. Pep Guardiola’s men were a little fortunate just to lose 1-0. Diego Simeone’s side were unable to take advantage when Chelsea lost Petr Cech to injury and the match turned into a war of attrition that neither side looked like winning.

Real Madrid have an appalling record to overcome. For some reason they seem to freeze on German soil, their quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund being a typical example. True they were missing Cristiano Ronaldo and they also missed a penalty, but they only just escaped the match going to extra time.