Bayern Munich’s route to defending their Champions League title in Lisbon may have taken them to London this week, but before the club boarded their Airbus to England on Tuesday afternoon, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insisted the final in the Portuguese capital on 24 May is not something they are currently concerned about. "Nobody in the Bayern camp is thinking beyond the last 16 at the moment," the Bayern chairman said ahead of this evening’s first leg away to Arsenal FC (live on ZDF and Sky from 20:45). Instead a step by step approach is being taken, "and this step against Arsenal is difficult enough," Rummenigge added.
Nine months ago the treble winners were celebrating success in the English capital, having knocked Arsenal out at the same stage last season. "We’re hoping history repeats itself", continued Rummenigge, who is wary of the threat posed by Mesut Özil, Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Co.: "We need to realise that we’re going up against the best team Arsenal have had in recent years. It’ll be a hugely difficult task."
Uli Hoeneß struck a similar chord. "We’d be well advised not to be arrogant and to take Arsenal very, very seriously," said the club president. “It’s a meeting of equals that I’ve been looking forward to for months. We’re flying to London and playing a strong opponent. My heart is leaping for joy, it’s the proper Champions League feeling.”
Guardiola alters plans
In order to prevent any potential setbacks, coach Pep Guardiola deviated from the team’s normal preparations. Opting against training at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in the evening so as to avoid London’s rush hour traffic, the tactician scheduled the side’s final training session on Tuesday morning in Munich. The German national team recently had to travel on the city’s underground train system in order to reach their training venue. Bayern were still keen to set up camp in The Landmark Hotel though, as they did last year.
"London’s so busy that you can’t be sure of a trouble-free journey," said captain Philipp Lahm. "It’s a good, logical solution. We know the stadium so it’s not a problem." However, Jerome Boateng had mixed feelings about the decision, as in the stadium the players can "get a feel for the pitch and the balls," although he recognised that "it’s not worth travelling around for two or three hours to do that."
Radio silence with Özil and Co.
The Bundesliga leaders clearly prefer to save their energy for the game. While the Bayern players have not had any direct contact with Arsenal’s German contingent ahead of the tie, pre-match comments from the home side have not gone unnoticed, especially centre-back Mertesacker’s assertion that "we now know how we can beat them". The visitors are determined to give their answer out on the pitch, however, with Boateng saying "there would be no point" to any verbal reply.
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Bayern Munich’s route to defending their Champions League title in Lisbon may have taken them to London this week, but before the club boarded their Airbus to England on Tuesday afternoon, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insisted the final in the Portuguese capital on 24 May is not something they are currently concerned about. "Nobody in the Bayern camp is thinking beyond the last 16 at the moment," the Bayern chairman said ahead of this evening’s first leg away to Arsenal FC (live on ZDF and Sky from 20:45). Instead a step by step approach is being taken, "and this step against Arsenal is difficult enough," Rummenigge added.
Nine months ago the treble winners were celebrating success in the English capital, having knocked Arsenal out at the same stage last season. "We’re hoping history repeats itself", continued Rummenigge, who is wary of the threat posed by Mesut Özil, Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Co.: "We need to realise that we’re going up against the best team Arsenal have had in recent years. It’ll be a hugely difficult task."
Uli Hoeneß struck a similar chord. "We’d be well advised not to be arrogant and to take Arsenal very, very seriously," said the club president. “It’s a meeting of equals that I’ve been looking forward to for months. We’re flying to London and playing a strong opponent. My heart is leaping for joy, it’s the proper Champions League feeling.”
[bild2]
Guardiola alters plans
In order to prevent any potential setbacks, coach Pep Guardiola deviated from the team’s normal preparations. Opting against training at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in the evening so as to avoid London’s rush hour traffic, the tactician scheduled the side’s final training session on Tuesday morning in Munich. The German national team recently had to travel on the city’s underground train system in order to reach their training venue. Bayern were still keen to set up camp in The Landmark Hotel though, as they did last year.
"London’s so busy that you can’t be sure of a trouble-free journey," said captain Philipp Lahm. "It’s a good, logical solution. We know the stadium so it’s not a problem." However, Jerome Boateng had mixed feelings about the decision, as in the stadium the players can "get a feel for the pitch and the balls," although he recognised that "it’s not worth travelling around for two or three hours to do that."
Radio silence with Özil and Co.
The Bundesliga leaders clearly prefer to save their energy for the game. While the Bayern players have not had any direct contact with Arsenal’s German contingent ahead of the tie, pre-match comments from the home side have not gone unnoticed, especially centre-back Mertesacker’s assertion that "we now know how we can beat them". The visitors are determined to give their answer out on the pitch, however, with Boateng saying "there would be no point" to any verbal reply.
Having established a 13-game winning streak in the Bundesliga and after 46 league outings unbeaten, it goes without saying that Bayern arrived in London brimming with confidence. “We won’t play for a goalless draw, we want to win,” said Lahm, who nevertheless urged caution following “last year’s result”. Bayern won the first leg 3-1 but stumbled into the quarter-finals after losing the return fixture 2-0 at home.
Yet after beating Borussia Dortmund in the continental final in May 2013, Bayern’s memories of playing in the English capital are fond ones. "For us, a lot of positive things are connected to London," Boateng said.
Lahm: Arsenal more than Özil
Arsenal’s hopes are resting largely on the shoulders of playmaker Özil, who is the Gunners’ "key player" according to Boateng. "Everyone knows how important Mesut is for Arsenal," agreed Lahm, who added that the hosts would not only be beaten "by taking Mesut out of the game as they’ve got ten more top-class players".
Bayern are unable to call on the services of injured duo Franck Ribéry and Xherdan Shaqiri, although the former is able to run again following buttock surgery, while Shaqiri has a torn muscle. Mikel Arteta and Theo Walcott will be absent for the hosts through suspension and a cruciate ligament injury respectively.
