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Flick: Bayern not just playing Messi
Bayern boss Hansi Flick is a relative novice at this stage but it’s all gone swimmingly so far. His side are now master pressers and look to have goals all over the pitch. Tonight’s opponents have been less convincing since football resumed but were saved by Lionel Messi’s magnificence against Napoli in the last 16. But Flick is wary of focusing only on the Argentinian.
“It is not Bayern Munich against Messi but Bayern Munich against Barcelona,” he told reporters ahead of the game.
Vidal praises ex-teammate Lewandowski
Thiago won’t be the only midfielder playing against his old side this evening, with Arturo Vidal likely to line up against Bayern for the first time since he left the Bundesliga champions in 2018.
The Chilean picked out Robert Lewandowski as a major threat. The Polish striekr is all but certain to win the golden boot in the Champions League this term.
“Lewandowski is truly extraordinary,” Vidal said in the prematch press conference. “He is very dangerous and it will be very hard to defend against him, but we will be prepared.”
Pavard out, Coman fit
French defender Benjamin Pavard is Bayern’s only injury absentee with Kingsley Coman “100 percent fit,” according to Bayern coach Hansi Flick. Pavard’s absence will likely mean Joshua Kimmich stays at rightback and Barcelona academy graduate Thiago continues in midfield, despite strong speculation he’ll soon join Liverpool.
For the Spanish side, former Borussia Dortmund flyer Ousmane Dembele is back in contention after nine months out with a hamstring injury. But Barca boss Quique Setien is only expecting to get “perhaps a few minutes” from the Frenchman.
Rare battle of big beasts
Considering they’ve won the competition 10 times between them, Bayern and Barcelona have not met all that often. Surprisingly, the first European meeting came as recently as 1996, when the Germans ousted Johan Cruyff’s team in the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) semifinal before going on to win the competition.
Barcelona have won only two of the eight meetings in the Champions League since then and were hammered 7-0 over the two legs by Jupp Heynckes side on their way to the treble in 2013. Two years later though, a strong performance at the Camp Nou helped Barcelona to the final in Berlin, which they would also go on to win. Indeed, the winner of every knockout tie featuring these two has gone on to claim the trophy.
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Bayern Munich No. 10s through history
Leroy Sane
After completing his €50 million move from Manchester City, Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane was assigned the famous number 10 shirt. He took the mantle from Coutinho, who wore number 10 during his one year loan spell from Barcelona. Sane will become the latest in a long line of Bayern greats to wear the highly sought-after number.
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Bayern Munich No. 10s through history
Uli Hoeness
The first Bayern star to wear number 10 consistently was Uli Hoeness. That’s because, during Hoeness’ career in the 70s, numbers still corresponded with positions on the pitch. Hoeness mostly played on the left wing during his brief career, which was shortened by injury, and therefore wore the number 10.
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Bayern Munich No. 10s through history
Michael Rummenigge
Michael Rummenigge also consistently sported the number 10 shirt for a similar reason to Hoeness. The number was also fitting as his brother, Karl-Heinz, wore the number 11 shirt when the two played at Bayern together. Michael Rummenigge is also well remembered as a Borussia Dortmund number 10 after spending five seasons with the club from 1988 to 1993.
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Bayern Munich No. 10s through history
Olaf Thon
Olaf Thon was the next Bayern player after Rummenigge to consistently don the 10 — also because he played on the left wing. He registered 35 goals and 27 assists during the four seasons he frequently wore number 10. Thon relinquished the number to Lothar Matthäus in 1992 when the midfielder returned from inter Milan, but Thon exclusively wore the number 10 during his post-Bayern career at Schalke.
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Bayern Munich No. 10s through history
Lothar Matthäus
Matthäus wore the number eight during his first spell with Bayern Munich from 1984 to 1988. But after donning the 10 shirt with Inter Milan in Italy, he kept the number when he returned to Munich in 1992 — even though he played mostly as a sweeper during his second stint with the Bavarians.
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Bayern Munich No. 10s through history
Ciriaco Sforza
Upon Matthäus’ departure from Bayern in 2000, the number 10 passed to Ciriaco Sforza. The Swiss midfielder had frequently worn the 10 shirt during his Kaiserslautern career and carried the number for two seasons with Bayern.
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Bayern Munich No. 10s through history
Roy Makaay
One of the best goalscoring number 10s to play for Bayern was Roy Makaay. The Dutchman, who joined the Bavarians from Deportivo La Coruna in Spain, scored 103 goals during his four seasons in Munich. The number went unused for two years after Makaay’s departure in 2007 before it was given to his Dutch compatriot, Arjen Robben.
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Bayern Munich No. 10s through history
Arjen Robben
No Bayern player has worn the number 10 longer than Arjen Robben. The Dutch winger sported the famous two digits for a full decade from 2009 to 2019. With the number 10 on his back, he recorded 144 goals and 101 assists in 309 games. His goal tally ranks eighth on Bayern’s all-time goalscoring list.
Author: Davis VanOpdorp
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/champions-league-bayern-munich-vs-barcelona-live-buildup/a-54564412?maca=en-rss-en-sports-1027-xml-atom