Bayern with "anger in the belly" and a lot of risk in the BVB duel
Thomas Tuchel made the German Clásico at arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund even bigger in the still fresh Munich Cup pain.
Will Bayern be dealt the next low blow in the Bundesliga top match? Or will the soccer nation once again witness a typical Munich demonstration of power three days after the embarrassing second-round exit in the DFB Cup at third-division club 1. FC Saarbrücken? Conversely, will BVB manage a turnaround?
"It's a big game in Germany. And after the cup, it's a big game for us to show a reaction," said Tuchel on Friday. It is a similar situation to seven months ago, when the Munich stars also showed a reaction in their first game under Tuchel after turbulent days with the replacement of Julian Nagelsmann as Bayern coach, beating BVB 4-2 in the Allianz Arena. It was a statement.
Terzic expects the stadium to be "extremely loud"
Some things will be different at the reunion, such as Bayern's extremely tight personnel situation. But there will be a lot of emotion again. There is not only the disturbing cup exit, which, according to Tuchel, "speaks against the basic law of FC Bayern". There's also the previous season finale, when Dortmund lost what they thought was a certain championship in a long-distance duel - and yet Bayern celebrated again with the trophy.
However, the 80,000 spectators at Signal Iduna Park, which BVB coach Edin Terzic expects to be "extremely loud", are not just looking for a prestigious win. For both teams, it is also about not losing touch with the consistently winning league leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
🎙️ Terzic: "Wir haben nicht nur bei Heimspielen immer den absoluten Support unserer Fans. Das ist außergewöhnlich. Es wird auch morgen wieder voll und extrem laut sein. Dem wollen wir morgen gerecht werden. Wir sind bereit um den nächsten Sieg zu kämpfen!"#BVBFCB pic.twitter.com/tAj0Q40VlW— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) November 3, 2023
BVB have not won any of their last ten competitive matches against Bayern. But BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl feels the moment has come for a turnaround: "We naturally want to take every opportunity to beat Bayern Munich in a direct duel - it's been a bit longer at home now. It's time again." Terzic is preparing his team for the real Bayern: "I've rarely seen two disappointing performances in a row from them. And their senses are always particularly heightened against us. And now there's a little bit of anger on top of that."
Freund: "Competing in Dortmund as Bayern Munich"
Dortmund versus Bayern - the classic is often decided by the players with the really big names. For Bundesliga newcomer Harry Kane, it is a premiere - and Tuchel will of course not leave the scorer of twelve league goals out, as he did in the cup. Terzic spoke on Friday of "an exciting task" for Mats Hummels and Co.
One thing is clear, as classic veteran Thomas Müller announced in Saarbrücken: "It will be a completely different game against Dortmund." Sporting director Christoph Freund sent a clear message to his own team: "We have to stand up. We have to face Dortmund as Bayern Munich. We have to compete with real anger in our stomachs, with conviction and the necessary aggression."
Tuchel was keen to radiate calm and exemplify self-confidence. He added that it was normal for criticism to arise after the club's chances of winning the cup were once again lost early on, especially with regard to his work. "We know what we're doing. I'm very ambitious and very self-critical. I take defeats very personally," he said. In Dortmund, his former place of work, they have to play at "the performance limit" again and call up "the best level". Tuchel believes in his players: "We have enough quality, form and spirit."
Bayern with personnel worries in defense
As a problem solver, Tuchel will have to play his part in passing BVB's test. After all, the record champions' personnel situation is critical. Joshua Kimmich is suspended in midfield and Matthijs de Ligt is out in defense with a new knee injury.
The logical solutions would be Leon Goretzka and Dayot Upamecano, but both are coming off injuries. Goretzka would even have to risk playing with a splint after suffering a metacarpal fracture. "Seriously, the question should be, can they be in the squad or not? Is it justifiable that we can skip a few steps and even start Upa or Leon? Of course, that's not the natural step," said Tuchel, explaining his thoughts ahead of the final training session in Munich.
- Bayern will be missing Joshua Kimmich in midfield and Matthijs de Ligt in defense due to suspensions and injuries, respectively.
- With Kimmich out, Leon Goretzka could potentially play, but he's also recovering from an injury and might need to use a splint.
- Dayot Upamecano, another defensive option, is also injured and may not be available for the Bundesliga clash against Borussia Dortmund.
- Despite the tight personnel situation, Tuchel is expected to field his strongest team, as a loss against Dortmund could deal another blow to Bayern's title hopes.
- Thomas Müller, a Bayern veteran, emphasized that the game against Dortmund will be different from the DFB Cup match, and they will need to compete with "real anger in their stomachs, with conviction and the necessary aggression."
Source: www.dpa.com
