Kane available for Bayern’s Champions League match at Real Madrid

By Canadian Press on April 6, 2026.

MADRID (AP) — Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane practiced on Monday and is expected to be available against Real Madrid in their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Kane missed the win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday because of a minor ankle issue sustained in training with England last week.

He took part in training in Munich before the club traveled to the Spanish capital for Tuesday’s match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said he will wait until gameday to decide whether to use Kane.

“It was important that he did a lot of training today,” Kompany said. “I don’t think he’s lost his rhythm. We’ll wait until tomorrow and then decide … We have a great squad and are ready for the two legs.”

Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior praised Kane.

“He is a goal-scorer. He is a great player,” Vinícius said. “But Bayern is a great team and has many players who switch positions and make it difficult for us. Whoever plays it will be tough.”

Bayern defender Joshua Kimmich said Kane was “massively important” for the team.

“He’s not just a finisher. He’s an absolute leader, a role model. He has a special mindset for an attacking player,” Kimmich said. “If he plays, his leadership qualities will be important.”

Bayern eliminated Atalanta in the last 16, while Madrid got past Manchester City.

“We’ve prepared for Real and we’ve seen what they did against Man City,” Kompany said. “It’s perhaps the toughest away game you can play, but we want to win.”

Madrid and Bayern are meeting in the knockout stage for the sixth time in the past 14 seasons. Madrid has won four of the two-leg matchups with Bayern since the 2011-12 season; once in the quarterfinals and three times in the semifinals, most recently in 2024. Bayern won in the 2012 semifinals after a penalty shootout.

“Bayern is an unbelievable team,” Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said. “We have a lot of respect for them. They’re having an exceptional season. Bayern has been the most consistent side in Europe this season. They’re fearless, aggressive, very focused defensively, with an unbelievable striker in Harry Kane.”

Bayern is unbeaten in its last 13 games in all competitions with 11 wins, while Madrid is coming off a 2-1 loss at Mallorca on Saturday that hurt its La Liga title hopes.

“We don’t think about not winning the tie and there is only one possible scenario, which is to beat Bayern and get through the tie,” Arbeloa said. “It’s the only thing we want and the only thing we believe in.”

Arbeloa also downplayed criticism of Kylian Mbappé, who has been questioned by some in Madrid recently. Mbappé is coming off a controversial knee injury that reduced his playing time with the Spanish club.

“Mbappé knows perfectly well what Real Madrid is,” Arbeloa said. “We’ve all seen images of Kylian Mbappé wearing the Real Madrid jersey, dreaming of becoming a Real Madrid player. What he has done to come here wasn’t easy.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press