Last season, Bayer Leverkusen was able to upend Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal with help from an unfortunate red card assessed to Manuel Neuer.
Now, the Bavarians will have a chance to exact a little revenge, but do not expect Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany to use that as a motivating factor.
“I think tomorrow will be our eighth game against Leverkusen in two years. They’ve had different coaches, but we know the players well and know exactly what to expect. In our last game, we saw precisely
which emotions you need – and which are better left at home. What we’ve always experienced against them is a great battle. Therefore, we expect nothing different this time,” Kompany said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I don’t feel any more pressure. But it’s a semifinal that will last 90 or 120 minutes – starting tomorrow we’ll know who’s going to Berlin. These are very special games. We shouldn’t downplay it, but the processes and preparation remain the same and are just as important as for all other games. We’re looking forward to the challenge tomorrow.
“It’s not about revenge. We’re only focusing on what lies ahead, not what’s behind us. Even though we’ve had some success against them recently, including in the Champions League. Tomorrow, however, is a new story. I don’t think any of us will underestimate this game. We have confidence; we know what to expect.”
Kompany has not reached the DFB-Pokal with Bayern Munich, nor with Hamburger SV during his time as a player. Moreso than any revenge, Kompany would just like to experience that atmosphere of the DFB-Pokal’s title match.
“I haven’t reached the final with HSV either. But there’s always a first time, and I hope it comes this year. I have a lot of respect for tomorrow’s opponent – everyone deserves that hope when they get this far. But I’ll take the experience [of cup finals] from England and Belgium with me when the time comes,” Kompany said.
Finally, Kompany was asked about one of the more interesting subplots of the final months of this season — Jamal Musiala’s ramped up role thanks to the injuries to Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl.
“Jamal is in a good phase at the moment. I said very early on: He’s developed physically, he’s now also physically close to his best level, not just in terms of strength, but also in terms of his willingness to run. He can press like we do. He wins duels. Now the question is: when will ‘Magic Musiala’ return? And he’ll 100% come back at some point; the moments are already there,” Kompany said. “What he’s doing at the moment is: He’s incredibly dangerous. The way he often already gets into dangerous areas. He’s racked up nine goal contributions in 600 minutes – he’s shown that he’s ready. What will be great for me is when freedom eventually returns. Then we might have a developed version of Jamal Musiala — I’m looking forward to that.”
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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