HERE BE GIANTS! Bayern v Barcelona
FC Barcelona and Bayern München meet again in the Champions League – and this time it’s a mouthwatering semi-final clash.
Who can resist Georgia Stanway up against Patri and Alexia? Or Pernille Harder trying to beat Cata Coll? Roos Schelen hears from both sides.
Last time they met, Barcelona came away victorious. The Spanish giants beat the Germans by a whopping seven goals to one in the league phase of the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL).
Now the semi-finals await for both sides. But it will be a very different game this time around, according to FC Barcelona’s Esmée Brugts, and Bayern München’s Klara Bühl and head coach José Barcala.
Brugts (below) is full of respect for the German side: “of course, they are one of the strongest teams in Europe, so there’s a lot of things to say what they are good at.
“I mean, they have been dominating in the German league, which is not an easy league, and of course, I think since our game, they haven’t lost any game, so that’s really impressive, and all credits to them.”
Dominant
In fact, since they last met both Barça and Bayern have been dominant domestically, and both have also been crowned champions in their respective leagues.
Brugts continues: “Of course, the first game against them has been a while ago, with a different context, of course, and we know it will never be the same game again, and that’s football.
“Every game is a different game, and yeah, we have to be as much ready as we can, and that’s what we train for.”
She adds: “we go into the game trying to win, but we also know there’s a lot of pressure on us, and maybe people think a lot about the last game, but we try not to.”
Transitions
Bayern’s head coach, José Barcala is only too aware of the threat that Barcelona bring in possession, as he speaks about the tactical side of things.
“Barcelona is the kind of opponent that force you to defend longer periods of time. We need to be really well organised in those moments. Moments where we need to build up front the back also and they press aggressively.
“We need to also… make sure if we lose the ball, we do it in a way that we are well organised to protect the goal and don’t conceive those transitions. That’s something that we need to take into consideration.
“And when we have the ball, we need to be ourselves, we need to be brave, we need to get sharp in positions. We need to be brave to play against the pressing, to find the spaces where we’ll be.”
Barcala adds: “And the most important thing is that we stay together with clarity and for the 90 minutes. That’s the most important thing.”
Belief
Bayern winger Klara Bühl (above) is full of confidence that they can make the final. It would be the first time for the German side.
“We’re going into the game tomorrow in the first leg to have a great performance. We believe in us. We want to achieve the final and in the end we are the persons that can influence it, and we are aware of this. We will step on the pitch with 100%.
“We will give everything; we love the support from the fans. We will enjoy it. And I think as a team, as a club, with the fans, we believe in it and we want to do this,” the German international says.
Bühl had been absent from the München team since the start of March, due to an injury she sustained while she was with the German national team. But: good news for Bayern München aficionados: she made her return against Union Berlin in midweek.
The German forward has been really important in Bayern’s attacking play this season. She has made the most assists this season in the UWCL out of all players (eight) and has made the most key passes (31).
Bonmati
Meanwhile, on the Spanish side of things, it has been rumoured that Aitana Bonmati may be making her way back against Bayern after a lengthy spell out with a leg fracture.
Bonmati has been a big loss for the Catalans, says Esmée Brugts: “losing Aitana was really a shock to us. It happened in the national team, and I was really sad to hear about this news, knowing that she is such an important player for us.
“She always steps up in those big games, and knowing her, she always wanted to play every game, so to know that she will be out for a long time was a really sad moment.”
Barcelona visit Bayern Munich tomorrow, Saturday 25 April at 17:15 BST (18:15 CET) in the Champions League semi-final first leg (the second leg is on Sunday 3 May). For information on where to watch the UWCL in your area, please visit: https://wheretowatch.uefa.com/
Photos: UEFA, Helen M Jerome
