Champions League: Bayern Munich Should Not Fear Cristiano Ronaldo, Sandro Wagner Says

Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's red-hot goalscoring form in the Champions League, Bayern Munich forward Sandro Wagner believes his side do not need to fear the Real Madrid man.

Recently crowned Bundesliga champions Bayern take on Madrid in the semifinals of the Champions League with the first leg scheduled to take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on April 26 later this month as the German side look to reach the final for the first time since 2013.

However, they will face a rampant Madrid side who while disappointing in La Liga, continue to stamp their mark in the Champions League, recently getting past Juventus 4-3 on aggregate in the quarterfinals.

Spearheading their quest for a remarkable third straight European crown is Ronaldo with 27 goals in his last 15 games for club and country as well as 15 goals in 10 Champions League games this season, three of which came in the two legs against Juventus.

The Portugal captain also played a role in two of Bayern's Champions League exits in the last four years as he notably scored five goals in two games in last year's quarterfinal clash between the two European giants.

While full of praise for Ronaldo, Wagner is more than confident in the Bundesliga side's defense and their ability to contain him in the upcoming fixtures, especially with Bayern conceding just 22 goals in 30 league games and eight in 10 Champions League games this season.

"Ronaldo scores so many goals it’s amazing!" Wagner was quoted as saying on Bundesliga.com. "I don’t even have that many goals in training. I think it’s great. I like people like that. It’s fun. It would be boring if we were all the same."

"He’s going to be playing in these games [against us]. He’s an incredibly good player and I’m glad that we’ll face him twice. However, our defence is brutally strong. We have the best defence in Europe, so we don’t need to hide," he said.

Despite a recent losing record to Madrid, Bayern have beaten the La Liga side four times in six meetings during the semifinal stage, most recently back in 2012 when they reached the final by virtue of a penalty shootout win.

Wagner is confident of reaching the final even if Madrid were the toughest draw possible out of the remaining semifinalists.

"Real were the toughest draw of the three [Liverpool and Roma will meet in the other semi-final]," Wagner added. "But we don’t have any blind players on our team, so we’re very positive and confident for the games. We’re in a good mood and looking forward to it."

Meanwhile, Bayern recently announced that Eintracht Frankfurt’s Niko Kovac will take over from Jupp Heynckes as manager at the end of the season. The former Croatia manager, who played for Bayern from 2001-2003, will sign a three-year deal that begins on July 1.

"It’s not so simple, I have to admit," Kovac said. "It’s difficult for me now that it’s [time at Frankfurt] ending soon. But where one door closes, another opens."