Agency Report –
Glasgow – Bayern Munich have one foot in the Champions League last 16 and now hope to make similar progress in the Bundesliga in their bid to reclaim the title from Bayer Leverkusen.
Leaders Bayern visit second-placed Leverkusen on Saturday with an eight-point advantage, and avoiding defeat there would be seen as a big step towards the league trophy.
Bayern have not beaten Leverkusen in five matches, and captain Manuel Neuer expressed hope after Wednesday’s 2-1 victory at Scotland’s Celtic that they can finally end the rot.
“I think it is about time. That we finally beat them again, if we are the better team, that’s what we all wish for,” Neuer said.
Eberl plays down Wirtz talk
The build-up has seen honorary Bayern president Uli Hoeness dreaming of Leverkusen’s young star Florian Wirtz playing alongside his national team partner Jamal Musiala at Bayern one day.
But Bayern board member for sport max Eberl insisted that “we haven’t been talking a lot about Florian Wirtz or any other Leverkusen player lately” and added “it is not right” to start such a topic before a big game like Saturday’s.
Leverkusen not fussed
Leverkusen managing director for sport Simon Rolfes said they are unaffected by Hoeness’ statements and the pre-match noise.
“It is nothing new that Florian is a player who is getting attention in the whole of Europe, and it has been like that for a while,” he said.
Eberl added in general terms that “we can look forward to Saturday and a great game.”
The two sides could also meet twice more in the Champions League last 16 in March because under the bracket system used for the first time Bayern will face Bayer or Atletico Madrid if they complete the play-off job against Celtic on Tuesday.
Celtic win boosts confidence
Bayern will hope to succeed in Leverkusen after ending a 14-month run since a 1-0 at Mmanchester United in December 2023 without a proper victory away from home in the Champions League at Celtic Park.
Theyn lost three of their four away games in the league stage of the elite event and the only win outside their home stadium came in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where Shakhtar Donetsk play their home games.
“This just feels good for what lies ahead,” Eberl said. “Now, we can’t afford to lower our level of performance for long. We have to build back up to that level on Friday, because the next top match awaits us on Saturday.”
Midfielder Joshua Kimmich spoke of “a good game for our team spirit” as Bayern prevailed at noisy Celtic Park from Michael Olise and Harry Kane, which will give them confidence for the upcoming tasks.
“We know how important it is to avoid mistakes in the Champions League in particular. We learned that lesson the hard way in our previous away games. You could see today that we’ve taken a step forward. There’s been a learning curve. This is how we have to keep going,” he said.
Defence shines
Bayern’s mostly solid defensive effort, a feat they have not regularly managed this season, was highlighted when centre back Dayot Upamecano was named Man of the Match.
“For me, Upa is an outstanding centre back and he showed that today. And it has a special meaning when a defender is named Man of the Match because that normally doesn’t happen,” Eberl said.
By Christian Kunz
