Ahead of the Champions League semi-final against Atletico, the Bayern captain analyses his opponents and explains what it's like to play for a club who are expected to win it all

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Fans, friends and followers of football,We are seven points ahead of Borussia Dortmund before going into the last three Bundesliga games and we could confirm a fourth league title in a row after the next match against Gladbach.This is nothing new. For many years we've had few problems qualifying for Europe, let alone having to fight against relegation like several other big clubs. At Bayern Munich you play to win games and trophies. It's a privileged situation.The great thing about being in such a strong position at this stage of the season is that the manager can rotate the team in order to conserve energy for when it's really needed - such as crucial games in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, who we play on Wednesday.It's no coincidence that Spanish football has dominated every international competition for a decade. It is attacking, intense, fluid football played at a high technical level. And in addition Atletico have Diego Simeone, a manager with a good defensive plan.Atletico have great individual players from back to front, like defender Diego Godin – who in the end cannot play against us – and forward Antoine Griezmann. They are a team with quite a low average age, a club who always develop and count on young players and they are strong opponents who deserve respect.April is a changeable month, particularly concerning the German weather. But we at Bayern won't allow it to affect us. We know what we want and have planned accordingly. We will finish this season successfully and ideally with three trophies in the merry month of May."April, April – it doesn't know what it wants," are the lyrics to a nursery rhyme that our son Julian has been singing. After an amazing Spring week here in Munich, we suddenly had to dig out the winter jackets, rain pants and even ear muffs! Sometimes it rains, sometimes it's sunny, but it's always changing.I took a literal breather between our German cup semi-final against Werder Bremen and the Champions League clash against Atletico, by catching some fresh air with my family so I could watch our game against Hertha Berlin with a clear head.Climate notwithstanding, April is an especially exciting month at FC Bayern. The German Cup, the Bundesliga, the Champions League... every game another opponent, another venue, another competition. Instead of swapping the sunglasses for an umbrella you swap your home shirt for away, your training kit for your suit.That's not just physically demanding but mentally exhausting. Having a game off and being allowed to watch the whole Bundesliga weekend as a fan was a rare opportunity for me, and I am grateful for it!Yours in football,Philipp Lahm