FC Bayern: “We suffer with Leon. “His time will come”

Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller have experienced practically everything together as football professionals. The World Cup triumph with the national team in 2014, the triple seasons with FC Bayern in 2013 and 2020, numerous championships and cup victories. Great successes – but also a few painful lows. And that’s why the two Munich football greats are determined to fulfill a very special appointment, namely on May 31, 2025. Then there will be another Champions League final in Munich.

“And that’s where we want to go,” said the captain around 20 hours before kick-off against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday (9 p.m./DAZN). The final would bring things full circle for Neuer, who will be 39 years old by then, Müller, who will be 35, and for FC Bayern as a whole; 13 years after the damned 3:4 penalty drama in the Allianz Arena against Chelsea on one of the most bitter football evenings in the history of the German record champions.

“There’s something big coming up in the summer, the final at home.” “Thomas and I are the only ones who were there against Chelsea twelve years ago,” recalled Neuer before the first game in the reformed Champions League. “For us, everything is new with the league. “But the most important thing in the end is the final here in Munich,” said Neuer, looking far into the future.

Even if the final seems like a small light at the end of a long tunnel a good eight months in advance, it is still omnipresent in Munich. “The dream is there for the fans that we will hopefully reach the final.” “The main thing for me is that we show that on the pitch, that we win against Zagreb,” said Vincent Kompany before his Champions League debut as coach. Direct entry into the round of 16, i.e. a place among the top eight in the new league format with 36 clubs, is the first milestone.

Goretzka and Sané at the final training

Against Zagreb, Müller is about to make his 154th Champions League appearance, goalkeeper Neuer his 143rd – and Kompany his very first as a coach. However, the Belgian heard the anthem 51 times as a player. He had to make last-minute changes to his personnel because Sacha Boey was injured again (torn meniscus). “We have solutions,” said Kompany. He didn’t want to give them away. Sports director Max Eberl has great confidence in Kompany’s personnel and tactical solutions: “At the moment, it’s a well-rounded picture. Vinnie is just doing it well.”

Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sané were also present at the final training session on the club grounds. Sané is still waiting for his comeback following his groin operation following the European Championships at home in the summer. The 28-year-old was part of the team for the first time in the 6:1 win against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga at the weekend, but did not play. Goretzka can hope to be part of the squad again after the loss of defender Boey. In Kiel, he did not make it into the 20-man squad.

At the press conference, Manuel Neuer also commented on Goretzka’s situation: “We players are suffering too. He has always been an important factor. I believe in him, he is motivated to the core, you can see that in every training session. I am convinced that his time will come.”

Good omen? Last time Bayern won 5-0 against Dinamo Zagreb

The first step on the way to the round of 16 begins on Tuesday exactly where the last one is planned – in Munich. The conditions suggest that things will get off to a good start against the Croatian serial champions from Zagreb. In 2015, they beat Dinamo 5-0 at home in the group phase. What’s even more important is that Bayern have got off to a great start with four competitive wins under new coach Kompany.

“The winning mentality is back,” said Neuer, “and we want to carry the momentum with us.” The 6-1 win in Kiel was the ideal way to get into the mood for the European tour. “Everyone is looking forward to starting in the Champions League,” said Harry Kane, Kiel’s three-time goalscorer, “and a home game is the perfect opportunity for that.”

In the many years of the group phase, Bayern were known as start specialists. They won 20 opening games in a row. They have not lost any of the last 40 group stage games. They will build on this series. “A win is always important, especially in the opening game,” said Joshua Kimmich. Especially since it will be followed by challenging away games at Aston Villa (October 2nd) and FC Barcelona (October 23rd) with former coach Hansi Flick.

Other opponents are Benfica Lisbon, Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord Rotterdam and Slovan Bratislava. “We have very good opponents, that’s no secret,” said Neuer. “It feels like every game counts more,” said Joshua Kimmich about the new format with eight games against eight different opponents and a table from place one to 36.