Thursday, August 26, 2021
Reactions to the CL draw
FC Bayern conjures up fond memories
What a spectacular group: RB Leipzig has to compete with the overseas teams from Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League for a place in the round of 16. But the reactions of the Bundesliga club are quite brave. Meanwhile, FC Bayern can be extremely self-confident, of course.
FC Bayern
FC Bayern was drawn into Group E at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland – together with FC Barcelona, Benfica Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev. A comparatively relaxed task. And in Munich they conjure up fond memories.
Oliver Kahn (CEO): “An exciting day in Istanbul and a demanding #UCL group for us! I’m looking forward to big evenings and also to returning to Lisbon, where we have already made history. Of course, we want to be group winners Round of 16! “
Hasan Salihamidzic (Director of Sport): “As a player, I’ve always enjoyed playing against the greats. Barcelona lost Lionel Messi. Nobody would have thought it would be possible for him to leave. It’s a different team without Messi, of course. But they have good ones Players in their ranks. It’s going to be a nice duel. Benfica is a traditional club, a well-known name and a really good club. It’s an interesting task. It’s also a beautiful stadium in Lisbon. Dynamo Kiev should not be underestimated either. We want to create the group and finish first. We have big goals in the Champions League. “
Manuel Neuer (captain): “We can’t afford to make any mistakes in this group, they are all very strong opponents. Barcelona will still be very present for all of us from 2020, it will be a very difficult task even without Messi. Benfica Lisbon are very strong. There’s always a great atmosphere there. And we shouldn’t underestimate Kiev, they’re a very strong team. I’m looking forward to this group and the duels with these big teams in Europe. “
Thomas Müller (attacker): “We caught three traditional Champions League participants right away. I’m really looking forward to these teams, all of which can play football very well. We still have fond memories of FC Barcelona from the quarter-finals 2020. That was a great experience in Lisbon for FC Bayern. But we also have to be on our guard against Benfica and Kiev. When I think of Kiev, the brilliant goal by Mario Basler in 1999 in the semi-finals immediately comes to mind. that paved the way to the finals back then. “
Joshua Kimmich (midfielder): “It’s definitely a very ambitious group. Barcelona are a big challenge with many top players. We’re looking forward to it, these will be two great games. Benfica Lisbon is a good team, tactically flexible and therefore difficult to play . With Dynamo Kiev the Ukrainian champions are there, so another hurdle that you have to take with full concentration. In general, it has to be our aim to master this group as group winners. ”
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund also has to deal with a Portuguese representative – and is in one of the easier groups. In Group C, Marco Rose and his team face Sporting Lisbon, Ajax Amsterdam and Besiktas Istanbul.
Hans-Joachim Watzke (Managing Director): “We can’t complain, it’s a very balanced group. We have a good chance of making it to the round of 16 once again.” Michael Zorc (Sports Director): “This is a very interesting group that consists exclusively of traditional clubs. Our goal is the round of 16!”
Marco Reus (captain): “Those are interesting opponents. The big teams aren’t there now. We can’t complain. Whether we’re favorites or not, I don’t really care. We’ll be well prepared. Of course it’s our goal to get ahead. “
RB Leipzig
More Lospech is hard to imagine: RB Leipzig caught the full severity of this draw. Last year’s finalist Manchester City, the upgraded Paris Saint-Germain around superstar Lionel Messi and all the other superstars and the pitiful Club Bruges: pure stress for the German runner-up.
Oliver Mintzlaff (CEO and Managing Director): “It is of course a real hammer group. Nevertheless, our goal is to assert ourselves in this group as well and to winter in the premier class for the third time in a row. Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are two world class -Teams that were in the semi-finals or even the final of the Champions League last season. Bruges are also difficult opponents with a lot of international experience and have recently finished third in the group. But we have proven in recent years that we too Can assert itself against absolute European top teams. In line with our club credo, we are approaching this mission with great anticipation – You Can Do Anything. “
Florian Scholz (Commercial Director Sport): “First of all, we are very proud to have qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the fourth time in RB Leipzig’s fifth year in the Bundesliga and to be among the 32 best teams in Europe. We were already in the semi-finals in 2020 and in the round of 16 in 2021. Reaching the knockout phase is our goal this time too, in order to establish ourselves sustainably in the top 16 in Europe. We are looking forward to major football festivals, especially at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, where hopefully our fans can finally be there again on the international stage in the stadium. “
VfL Wolfsburg
At VfL Wolfsburg, on the other hand, they will have at least secretly cheered a little when the teams were finally completely divided: OSC Lille, Red Bull Salzburg and FC Sevilla are the names of the opponents of Lower Saxony. A constellation that at least makes progress seem possible. You will find it yourself.
Koen Casteels (captain): “This is a good group for us. We haven’t caught the toughest opponents on paper and the chance of advancing against these teams is probably a little better than in other groups. Nonetheless, against Lille, Seville and Salzburg expect difficult games and we have to deliver top performances to survive against these teams. “
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