Salihamidzic: Barcelona not in the final yet
Former Bayern Munich midfielder insists Germans are capable of overturning 3-0 deficit
Bayern Munich’s chances of reaching the Uefa Champions League final are not over despite a 3-0 semi-final first leg defeat away to Barcelona on Wednesday, according to former Bayern midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic.
The Germans succumbed to a Lionel Messi brace and a third from Neymar all within the last 13 minutes of the encounter at the Nou Camp.
But Salihamidzic, who won the Champions League with Bayern in 2001, has refused to rule out a comeback in next week’s return leg at the Allianz Arena.
“Always anything is possible with Bayern,” said the Bosnian, who made 234 appearances for Munich between 1998 and 2007.
“We saw in the first leg of the quarter-final against Porto, Bayern lost 3-1 away but returned in the second leg to win 5-1.
“It really is impossible to believe and I know we have a very big problem with injuries, but Bayern is Bayern and always anything is possible.
Juve player
“The players need the confidence to believe they can still make the final. They have nothing to lose now and will try everything to beat Barcelona at home. We will see how many they score, but it’s certainly not over.”
Salihamidzic also made 61 appearances for Juventus between 2007 and 2011, and was optimistic about the Italians’ chances of making the final after their 2-1 first-leg win at home to Real Madrid on Tuesday.
A Carlos Tevez penalty separates the two sides after Cristiano Ronaldo had cancelled out Alvaro Morata’s early opener in that game, setting up a fascinating return at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“We know how strong Real will be at home, so I think Juventus will need to play a perfect game,” the 38-year-old said. “Juve are great in defence and are strong going forward, so I think they have a great chance of making the final.
“I wasn’t surprised that they won the first leg. This is a team that has won the Serie A title for the past four years running. They have also done well in recent Champions League seasons to gain enough experience, and I think they are ready for the final. I’m still hopeful of a Bayern versus Juventus final.”