Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid face off in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. The game is set for a 2:45 p.m. ET kickoff.

Bayern's Spanish Woes

Bayern Munich won the Champions League in 2013 and has since fallen at the semifinal stage, each time getting shut down by Spanish clubs. In 2014, Real Madrid had its way with the German champs, winning 1-0 at home and then dominating 4-0 in the Allianz Arena. A year later, Barcelona took a commanding 3-0 win at the Camp Nou before Munich saved face with a 3-2 win at home.

Atletico could complete the triumvirate of Spanish sides to eliminate Pep Guardiola during his reign at Munich. But Guardiola undeniably has different ideas. Or at least he hopes he does.

Munich's Knockout Struggles

Munich was strong throughout the group stage, scoring 16 goals and conceding four. The team won five of six games, losing only to Arsenal.

The knockout rounds have been a different story however.

After running out to a 2-0 lead in Turin, the team wound up conceding two late strikes against Juventus. The Italian side maintained the momentum into the second leg of the leg in Munich, scoring two early goals and seemingly strolling into the quarterfinals before Munich scored two late tallies, forced extra time and ran away with the tie overall.

But the problems persisted in the quarterfinals against Benfica, arguably the best matchup any contending team could have asked for. But the Portuguese contingent gave Munich all it could handle with only one goal in the opening leg of the tournament proving the difference. Munich won overall 3-2, but few expected the team to struggle as much as it did.

Los Colchoneros' Struggle then Conquer

Atletico's journey has made it a far more formidable opponent and arguably the favorite to win this semifinal. Los Colchoneros were great in the group round, winning four, drawing one and losing one while conceding just three goals. But the team struggled in the round of 16 against PSV Eindhoven, relying on a penalty miss from the opposition to get into the quarterfinals where it took on Barcelona.

And this is where the team really came to the forefront. After losing 2-1 at the Camp Nou, Diego Simeone's team dominated at home by the score of 2-0 and knocked out the defending champs for the second time in three years. Back in 2014, Atletico defeated Barcelona in the quarterfinals before advancing all the way to the final in Lisbon and coming within minutes of winning the trophy. The team looks very likely to repeat that very feat yet again.

Prediction:

Atletico wins 2-0 at home.

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