Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer knows his team has an advantage on playing at home and being up 2-1 on aggregate in the Champions League, but the veteran is not going to entertain the thought that Real Madrid might be mentally tapped out of this season.
“Our advantage is that we won the first leg. But it’s only one goal, it can still go either way. Real Madrid are a tough and difficult opponent. But we have a slight advantage. And we have the advantage of a fantastic home crowd on nights like
tomorrow. We’re in a good position, but we can’t overestimate it because we’ve seen in the past how Real can turn things around. Nevertheless we’re confident,” Neuer said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We know that a lot is possible this season, especially with the energy we have. We laid the foundation to this with the Club World Cup. That was an important start, which we carried over into the Super Cup, then things started off very well and it’s just developing from there. It’s the second year under Vinny Kompany, we’ve made progress – that helps when we understand the philosophy, the coach, the energy is in the team and for me, we’re definitely in the running.
“We know it’s close, that anything can happen. But we’ll try to give it our all at home and advance – that’s our goal. We know the feeling when you go a season without winning a title. It’s tough and difficult, especially for a club like Real Madrid. We’ve experienced that firsthand. You can move mountains when your back is against the wall – but I don’t want to put myself in Real’s shoes too much, I’d rather focus on ours. We’re on a run, things are going well, we’re in all competitions, and we control our own destiny. This is a situation where we’re in the driver’s seat.”
Obviously, a lot of the focus for Neuer will be on helping keep Real Madrid stars Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in check.
“It’s not about the names, it’s about an important Champions League match for us, for the club. We’re playing against Real Madrid. I’m not concerned with individual players. Of course, we’ve analyzed them; we have the experience to play our best football as a team. That will be crucial tomorrow. If we function as a team, I’m very optimistic that we can reach the semifinals.”
When asked about potentially being the greatest goalkeeper of all time, Neuer quickly shifted focus off of him and on to others, including injured Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“That’s hard to say, depending on which era we’re talking about. There are many top goalkeepers. From the last few decades, there are at least ten. Everyone has a different style. It’s a real pity that Courtois is out of a game like this. But in the past, there were also (Peter) Schmeichel, Oli Kahn, (Iker) Casillas, (Gianluigi) Buffon, and there’s Courtois – there were certainly some very, very good goalkeepers. They all had their merits. It’s difficult to say who the best is.”
Finally, some sadist journo asked about the possibility of the tie going to penalties and if Neuer prepared for a shootout like he did in 2012.
“I don’t think much has changed since 2012; you know the opposing players and their preferences in taking penalties. The analysis takes place beforehand, you look at who takes penalties and how they take them. But as a goalkeeper, you have to develop your own feel for what’s going on in the other player’s mind. I try to react to that,” Neuer remarked.
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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