Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany can easily look at the results and see one that jumps off the page from the Champions League this week: Atlético Madrid 5-1 over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Whoa.
Even with that blowout, Kompany knows how dangerous Die Adler can be, especially at home.
“They’re very, very strong offensively at the moment. That’s very impressive, but we’re also scoring a lot of goals. Our plan is to give our all offensively and also be solid defensively against a strong attacking opponent.
Hopefully, we can get three points again. Frankfurt are dangerous, of course, but that makes it an exciting task for us,” Kompany said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
When asked about the possibility of becoming the first team from Europe’s Top 5 leagues to start a season with 10 wins from 10 games, Kompany said that will be the goal vs. Eintracht Frankfurt — even if stats like that are of no interest to him.
“Dieter [the press officer] told me about that now. Tomorrow, we’ll do everything we can to perform well, to win, and get three points. I’m not so concerned with such statistics. What matters is that we’re there in March to play for titles. Now it’s about maintaining our momentum and delivering the performance that will help us. That’s our priority right now,” Kompany stated. “Only we can help each other. We can always improve, and that’s what we’re trying to do. If you listen too much to what’s being said outside, we’re always either great or we’re bad at everything. We can’t live in that world. We have to feel like we’re always there for each other and support each other. We have to be honest with each other. What’s important to me is that we stick together – even in difficult times – and have faith in what we can achieve if we’re there mentally and physically.”
One of the subplots of the match will be the battle between the league’s two top goal scorers — Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Can Uzun, which Kompany said is indicative of the league’s top-end talent.
“Of course, we’ve lost many top players in the Bundesliga [this summer]. But that’s not all negative – there’s room now for a new generation of top players. Uzun has a lot of quality playing between the lines, he can play the decisive pass, but can also be dangerous in front of goal. He can shoot from distance and cleverly get into the right position to score with one touch. He’s another young player from Frankfurt who will do very well in the future. We always play against good players – that’s very exciting for us and always makes us better. If the other team is in a good phase, then that should put us in a position to improve as well,” Kompany said.
As far as the squad’s health goes, Kompany does not expect any changes to the group that suited up vs. Pafos in the Champions League earlier this week.
“Min-jae (Kim) will probably be there tomorrow, Jonas Urbig won’t. If everything goes well, we can go into the game with the same squad that was available against Pafos,” Kompany said. “I don’t want to say too much about the players who have been injured for a long period. We have to give them time. The situation is different for everyone. Some are doing great, others need time to adjust. Josip Stanišić will be back after the international break, but we’ll have to be patient with the others (Alphonso Davies, Hiroki Itō, Jamal Musiala).”
Finally, Kompany said that team will visit Oktoberfest on Sunday and that such things are good to help take a step away from the high pressure and professional nature of football.
“Saturday is Saturday and Sunday is Sunday. We have to separate things in life. We enjoy being together. This is a moment that’s not just about football, but also about families. FC Bayern is a family – so we’ll use the time to be together. I want to win on Saturday. That way I can separate things nicely and have motivation for both days,” Kompany said.
After dismantling Pafos FC in the Champions League, Bayern Munich will travel to Eintracht Frankfurt for a key Bundesliga tilt.
Die Adler can be a handful, but the Bavarians are riding high at the moment and could be too much for the offensive strong, but defensively challenged Eintracht Frankfurt squad to handle.
Let’s get into all of it right here! This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with Eintracht Frankfurt — can a selling club stay a prime contender to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga? This Eintracht squad might be able to.
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI — the central midfield selection could be key for Vincent Kompany.
- A prediction on the match.
