It is a show of strength with an international flair. Bavaria from Munich against Bayer from Leverkusen is the highly emotional struggle for the Champions League quarter-finals. At the same time, it is also a duel of the individual comparisons. Between the coaches Vincent Kompany and Xabi Alonso, between the wizards Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz or between the team strategists Joshua Kimmich and Granit Xhaka.
On Wednesday (9 p.m./only on Canal+) In the sold -out Allianz Arena and six days later, the second leg in Leverkusen is about nothing less than national supremacy. It’s about status, prestige, about old bills – and the season success.
“It will definitely be a hot dance,” predicts Thomas Müller for the first German royal class duel since the 2-1 triumph of Bavaria in the historic Wembley final 2013 against Borussia Dortmund. The Munich people do not like how badly the once eternal second from the Rhineland now shakes on the Bayern-Nimbus as a permanent number one.
Balanced
1: 2, 2: 2, 0: 3, 1: 1, 0: 1, 0: 0-Bayern won none of the last six games against Bayer with coaching mastermind Xabi Alonso. And as with the goalless league draw in Leverkusen recently, the Munich team of Alonso’s master ensemble has never been dominated in Leverkusen. All of this works with the record champion.
“It’s a nice rivalry now,” says coach Kompany on the relationship status of Bayern and Bayer. “The last six games don’t care. We want to show again that we can fight Bayern, ”said the clever tactician and deep forklift Alonso. “We stay cool,” assured the former Bayern professional, whom the old Bayern-Granden Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wanted so much on their coaching chair after the last season.
If for the Munich-based cup-k.-o. The royal classes out against Bayer and thus the early dream of “Finale Dahoam” in Munich would also come to Bavaria.
Leverkusen team player Florian Wirtz has been the object of desire for some time. “He is the best player in Germany for me,” said ex-Bavaria boss Rummenigge in an interview with the Munich evening newspaper. And that despite Jamal Musiala, which is supposed to be Bavaria’s face of the future.