As Bayern Munich prepares for tomorrow night's high-stakes Champions League semi-final second leg against PSG, manager Vincent Kompany is drawing confidence from an unlikely source: the fans. Speaking at today's press conference, the Belgian tactician emphasized the growing bond between the team and its supporters.
"There's a good relationship between this team and the fans," Kompany said. "At the start of the season, maybe not many believed we'd still have a chance to reach the final. Now we're here, we've experienced many special moments. And I think the fans believe we can do it. We want to make it a memorable moment."
The first leg ended in a thrilling 5-4 defeat for Bayern, but Kompany remains unfazed. When asked about the defensive lapses, he adopted a calm, pragmatic tone. "The mission is to win games. We have ideas that we think help us to do that. It's just about that. We've shown that we can win many games, PSG have shown that too. In the end, you have to score one more goal than your opponent to win a game. If you can do it without conceding, that's the best thing that could happen."
With the match taking place at the Allianz Arena, Kompany expects an open, attacking affair. "It always depends on the teams. If one decides to take a step back and defend more, then there could be some calmer phases in the game. Otherwise, there won't be. It's difficult to imagine that either team will change what brought them here in the first place. We're playing at home, we want to win and will do everything for that."
On the injury front, Kompany delivered some mixed news. "Serge [Gnabry] is out. All others are there and available. That's important and a big difference to last season, where we were very unlucky with injuries." With a nearly full squad at his disposal, the stage is set for a memorable night in Munich as Bayern looks to overturn the deficit and book their place in the final.
