Benjamin Pavard: "We're ready for the game. We know the first leg wasn't good. Now we have our fans behind us and we will do everything to win the game and make it through" #UCL
Do you believe in the comeback?
Pavard: "We have seen in the past that such a 'remontada' is possible. We have prepared well. The opponent is not easy, but with our fans behind us, everything is possible. We will give everything and want to take our chances."
Pavard on Haaland: "He's a great player, he's showing that every weekend. He's one of the best strikers in the world. But we can't just focus on him, there are other good players too. It's going to be a big game tomorrow."
Pavard on the season so far: "We had difficult moments, we were knocked out in the Pokal. We played a good first half at City, we had good moments but didn't score. Of course we want to win all titles and would be disappointed if we were eliminated tomorrow. We'll all do our best
Pavard on scoring goals lately: "My role is defensive. But if I can score goals, it's good for the team. I focus mainly on defending, but if the ball falls in front of me, of course I'll try to shoot. It's important that we act as a team."
Pavard on Tuchel: "Things are going very well with the coach, he's a great coach, has good ideas. He's shown that with his previous teams. He's very close to his players. I don't want to compare Nagelsmann and Tuchel. I give my maximum on the pitch and with the coach who's there"
Pavard on his position tomorrow: "I prepare for every game the same way, whether I'm playing on the right or at centre-back"
Pavard on Choupo-Moting: "Choupo has had a very good season, he's physically very strong. I think he'll be back tomorrow. But it's up to the coach if he plays tomorrow. Our problem is that we have many chances but don't take them. I think he'll be a help"
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Josip Stanišić in @kicker interview with @FrankLinkesch
On how annoying it is to play two extra games in the play-offs: "It's certainly not annoying, we all like to play football. We have a good squad in which all players are needed. I was injured for five months, two additional games are good for me personally. In general, it's always better for footballers to stay in the rhythm, so two games are a higher burden, but not negative. There will be two exciting games against Celtic"
Stanišić: "Of course we wanted to finish among the top 8 and win all 8 games. That didn't happen, but we didn't finish 23rd either. We don't have to put our heads in the sand"
Stanišić on whether he experienced the atmosphere at Celtic Park before: "In 2017 I played Youth League and then I was able to go to the stadium in the night when the first team played there. That was exceptional. We want to win both games but will definitely not underestimate Celtic."
Jamal Musiala in an end-of-year interview with @SPORTBILD
On his happiest moment in 2024: "When we advanced against Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Then when Phonzy scored in Madrid, which put us 1-0 ahead in the second leg of the semi-finals. And actually the entire Euros was a moment of happiness: every goal, every encounter with the fans. My goal in the opening match against Scotland, the win in the round of 16 against Denmark. I was happy until the Spain game"
[@cfbayern, @altobelli13]
• Was the Quarterfinal exit against Spain your saddest moment of the year?
Musiala: "In fact, both the defeat against Spain and the last-minute elimination in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League in Madrid against Real were very tough. After the defeat against Spain, my head was empty. I hadn't expected that, everything was going well, the team's thoughts were very positive. Sometimes you can feel when a team is not in good form. Then a defeat doesn't hurt quite as much. But when it feels unfair, it hurts very much."
Musiala on Cucurella's handball: "I often dreamed about the handball scene. I can't change it anymore. When I see it somewhere today, I always click away - for example on Instagram. I can't see it anymore"
• Would your shot in the 106th minute have given Germany the lead?
Musiala: "My feeling is yes. It felt like the ball had gone into the goal. But: we'll never know. It's still bitter. The energy in the team was so high"
Jan-Christian Dreesen in an end-of-year interview with @tzmuenchen
• On the defeat against Mainz: "We didn't play well in Mainz, we're all aware of that. Joshua Kimmich put it accurately that we need to take the situation seriously and sharpen up. The last game of the year is important, we want to finish the year properly, in other words: beat Leipzig."
[@hannalein3]
• Kimmich spoke of a "decisive moment" in the season - is that accurate?
Dreesen: "It's an important moment because we obviously want to defend our lead at the top. That includes making it clear to the competition that they cannot catch us. We had eight injured players in Mainz, but we are not complaining, FC Bayern never did that. We definitely had enough quality on the pitch to win the game."
• How does it feel to have Leverkusen breathing down your neck again, four points behind you?
Dreesen: "Nothing at all for now."
• But Christmas could get hectic..
Dreesen: "Oh, you know, I'm not even thinking about that. I have a lot of faith in Vincent Kompany and in our team. And we don't let ourselves get unsettled so easily"
Oliver Kahn in @SPORTBILD interview, his first since his Bayern dismissal: "It says a lot when one of the most coveted coaches in Europe, who led a team full of difficult stars in Paris to the Champions League final and won the Champions League with Chelsea, has to fight so many difficulties in Munich. Bayer Leverkusen have played an extraordinary season in the Bundesliga. They have an unbelievable winning run, regularly winning games towards the end and in stoppage time. At some point this will scratch Bayern's self-image, but you have to recognize that another team is playing a season of the century. This was the only way to knock FC Bayern off their throne at some point. In Europe, things are looking different. The chance to be among the best four in Europe is there"
[@altobelli13, @cfbayern]
Kahn on the decision to part ways with Tuchel: "I can't judge what problems there were because I'm no longer involved. I always perceived him positively as an open conversation partner who developed during his successful time in Paris and Chelsea. His international experience can now be an important factor in reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League."
Kahn on how he will follow Bayern against Arsenal: "I'm very interested. I'm still a fan of FC Bayern and that will always remain the case. I no longer follow the day-to-day business, I'm focused on other topics and traveling a lot. But whenever it's possible, I will of course watch the games."
Former Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann on tonight's game: "Arsenal are slight favourites. But Bayern are still a team with players who can always make the difference and also have the experience to win big tight games. From my perspective, they have more weaknesses than Arsenal. The organization, for example. Inconsistency is mostly a matter of organization. Arsenal also maintain a high pace throughout most positions. That is lacking at Bayern. And Arsenal are defensively more stable."
[@kessler_philipp]
Lehmann: "FC Bayern are unpredictable this season. Sometimes they deliver good results, then they lose unexpectedly. Arsenal, on the other hand, are very consistent – both in the Champions League and the Premier League. Though it must be said that they haven't been truly challenged in the Champions League yet. I was at the Round of 16 match against Porto in the stadium, and Arsenal were not really convincing. They only advanced through a penalty shootout. They didn't have real solutions upfront. But I think Bayern will suit them better. They're a team that usually wants to control the game. So, I don't see this as a disadvantage for Arsenal. But as I said, Bayern still have very good players who can win games on their own."
Lehmann: "As a goal scorer, Harry Kane is known and feared at Arsenal. Then Bayern have Sané, Coman, Gnabry, or Musiala; individuals who can make the difference internationally. Bayern still have very good individual players. And with Neuer as the goalkeeper, they have an advantage. These will definitely be very good games."
• On regaining his starting spot at Bayern: "I've started 10 of the past 12 matches. And I feel like I'm getting fitter and better, which is a very good feeling. I started the season with an injury and that is of course always very annoying. I needed time to come back and then I also suffered a knee injury. As a result, I missed a lot of matches and at a club like Bayern Munich you have to deal with a lot of competition with international players"
de Ligt on rumours of his potential departure because he wasn't playing: "I think that mainly has to do with the expectations from outside. When I don't play, then a link is immediately made saying that I would not be happy and would want to leave. Of course there have also been matches that I would have liked to play, but I really have no reason to complain. I'm still having a great time at Bayern Munich and have been playing again lately. I never let rumors get to my head because I know what the reality is"
de Ligt on the Champions League: "The recent win over Lazio gave us a boost, new energy. The Champions League is a great tournament and anything can happen. We are in the last eight and now have two great games against Arsenal ahead of us. Two top teams, where I think we will be evenly matched. These are also the games that are in the spotlight here in the Netherlands"