Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany can look at Pafos and see that the Champions League match between the two clubs will not be a cakewalk.
“Pafos have good pace going forward, they’re dangerous in transition.
I know a few players in the team who shouldn’t be underestimated. And the coach has worked for over 700 games with Unai Emery – he’s experienced. They’re strong defensively, but also have a good structure going forward. It’s a very good mix of short passes, but also long ones, and aggressively going for second balls and finding space for the wingers – but we’re prepared for that. The public can underestimate them, but we won’t,” Kompany said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “It’s a completely normal game for us; it’s the Champions League. That always brings a special feeling, with big respect for the opponent – it hasn’t been an easy road for them to the Champions League. They’ve already played seven games to date and haven’t lost a single one – we know what to expect. And yet, we have full confidence that we can get the three points – and that’s our goal.”
“It’s a bit like the Club World Cup: You play against opponents you don’t meet that often, where you have to search for everything from scratch and have little information beforehand. We’ve done all that – and we’ve seen how much emotions play a role in the Club World Cup. Emotions will be an important factor tomorrow, too. They’ll keep this game alive – but it’s also a lot of fun getting to know new teams. Once you’ve gathered all the information, you always have a lot of respect for your opponents. But in the end, I want us to win.”
Kompany was also asked about the team’s production and how much of an emphasis is on scoring goals. For the head coach, there is never a milestone for a certain number of goals.
“I’ve never gone into a game where we say we want to score four or five goals today. No. We want to win here, even if only 1-0; that’s still a win. We have three games in nine days now, resting doesn’t mean we have to leave a player out completely. Almost all of our players have been subbed off at least once in the past few weeks, so it’s not as necessary as in other phases of the season. But if you look at the schedule and see the intensity after the international break, then we’ll have to rotate. Now it’s also about showing how good the players are when they get their chance – it’s healthy competition. Hopefully, we’ll have a bit more clarity in March and April, when it’s time to play for the titles,” said Kompany.
Bayern Munich is off to Cyprus for a Champions League tilt against Pafos FC.
The Bavarians are big favorites and looking to stay red-hot behind the scorching play from Harry Kane. This Bayern Munich squad has a certain look to it. The team’s focus and relentlessness is unquestioned and Vincent Kompany seems to have a magic touch on all of his moves at the moment.
Simply put, Bayern Munich is in great shape ahead of this one. Let’s get into it, this is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with Pafos FC.
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
