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DPA
Lisbon
Bayern Munich enter the Champions League quarter-final showdown with Barcelona on Friday with plenty of confidence and determined to make life difficult for Lionel Messi and company.
“Both teams like to have the ball. We want to be alert without the ball as well, make their possession as uncomfortable as possible, and win the ball back,” forward Thomas Mueller told a virtual news conference on Thursday.
“We don’t want an end to end game but rather control the match with our quality. I have a good feeling but we know that Barcelona and excellent individuals with lots of experience.”
Bayern flew to Lisbon earlier in the day after some final fine-tuning for the finals at the Algarve coast. Mueller named the atmosphere “excellent” because Bayern are unbeaten in 27 games – of which they have won 26 – and have already completed a German league and cup double.
The two sides have met three times before in the elite event and the winner has then lifted the trophy on each occasion, Barcelona in 2009 and 2015, Bayern in 2013.
Mueller and coach Hansi Flick also praised Messi and insisted it would take a collective effort to stop the Argentine ace.
“We must act together against his individual quality, be aggressive but clean. Our games over the past months showed this team effort,” Mueller said.
Flick added Munich must play “smart” against Messi, “put pressure on him and win the man-on-man situations against him.” But he also warned “it is not Bayern against Messi but Bayern against Barcelona.” Many have named the game a duel between Messi and Munich’s star forward Robert Lewandowski who has scored 53 goals in all competitions this season but Flick did not want to compare the two.
“Lewandowski is a world class centre forward, and guarantees us goals and assists. Messi is by far the best footballer over the past years.
I don’t know whether there will ever be such a player again,” Flick said.
Right-back Benjamin Pavard joined the team from Munich on Thursday as he has all but overcome a foot injury but Flick said that the Barcelona game is too early for him. Winger Kingsley Coman could however make the starting 11, Flick added.
“I tried out some boots yesterday and am feeling good,” Pavard told Sky TV, expressing hope of a comeback in Portugal should Bayern advance.
Joshua Kimmich is expected to take Pavard’s place against Barca like he did last week in the last-16 match against Chelsea, a 4-1 win there also good for team morale.
“Everyone on the team is really focussed. It is the final eight against the best teams in Europe. matches like that make you grow. We trust our strength and are looking forward to tomorrow,” Flick said.
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14/08/2020
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