‘If anyone can beat Real, we can’
Bayern chairman Rummenigge issues Champions League battle cry
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has thrown down the gauntlet to Real Madrid ahead of next Wednesday’s home Champions League semi-final, first leg.
“We have to keep our concentration until next Wednesday, but if anyone can beat Real Madrid at the moment, it’s FC Bayern,” boasted Rummenigge.
Bayern host the first leg at Munich’s Allianz Arena with the return at Madrid’s Bernabeu on May 1.
The German giants warmed up by romping to a 6-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday in the German Cup semi-final.
“It was a demonstration of the footballing quality of our team,” added Rummenigge.
“To be a FC Bayern fan must be paradise at the moment.
“The team clearly has a tremendous quality for achieving everything it wants to.”
Bayern could repeat their 2013 treble.
They are in the German Cup final on May 19 and have already secured a sixth straight Bundesliga title.
The Bavarian giants ran riot in Leverkusen as Germany forward Thomas Mueller scored twice and helped set up the opening goal in a man-of-the-match performance.
Star striker Robert Lewandowski was credited with two more goals to add to his 38 in 42 matches this season for Bayern.
Having led 2-1 at the break, Bayern turned on the style in the second-half. Arjen Robben, Thiago Alcantara and Mueller, twice, hit four goals in a devastating 26-minute spell.
Leverkusen are third in the Bundesliga, but trail Bayern by a massive 24 points and the gulf in class showed.
“It was a football demonstration for a long period,” beamed Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes. We put in a top performance against a good opponent. We were incredibly motivated and focused. We’re in a really good mood.”
Heynckes heaped praise on Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, who made outstanding saves to twice deny Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi.
‘Dominant team’
“We were the dominant team, but there were always situations where Sven Ulreich saved us. He was outstanding,” said Heynckes.
Mueller agreed. “That was advertising for German football,” said the Germany forward.
“We were 2-0 ahead, then it was 2-1 and Ulle [Ulreich] kept us in the game with two saves.
Real Madrid knocked Bayern out of the Champions League last season at the quarter-final stage.
The Spaniards won 2-1 in Munich as superstar Cristiano Ronaldo netted two second-half goals before Bayern lost 4-2 in the second leg in Madrid.
Nevertheless, Bayern are in the mood to deny Ronaldo and his Real team a third straight Champions League title this season.
“If we play like we did [against Leverkusen], it’ll be hard for Real too,” said Bayern goalkeeper Ulreich.
James Rodriguez, on loan at Bayern from Real, says the Spanish club engage a different ‘chip’ when they play European football. The Colombian says the Spanish giants’ strength is knowing how to conjure up their best performances in Europe.
“They use a different ‘chip’ in the Champions League than they do in the [Spanish] league and manage to get the most out of themselves,” James said.
“They know what it takes to fight for this trophy year after year, after all they have made history in the European Cup and the Champions League.”
After three mediocre years at the Bernabeu, where he failed to regularly force his way into Real’s star-studded team, James has rediscovered his best form this season amid a two-year loan deal at Bayern.
Real could win the Champions League title for the third straight season — and the 13th time in the club’s history — in the Kiev final on May 26.
Bayern have every reason to be wary of Real, who knocked them out of the Champions League last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored seven goals in his last three matches against the Bundesliga giants including two in each of his last two games at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
The Portuguese superstar has already scored 15 goals in the Champions League this season.
“He is a goal machine and has proven it time and time again,” said Colombia star James, the top-scorer at the 2014 World Cup. “He is always there when needed, as proven by his numbers.
“We need to produce a top team performance so he doesn’t have his best day. You have to take care of him, but Real Madrid is not just Ronaldo.
“It won’t be easy, that’s for sure.”
Chelsea face the prospect of losing Marcos Alonso for the next three games, including their FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, after the left-back was charged with violent conduct.
Alonso’s apparent stamp on Shane Long in Chelsea’s dramatic 3-2 Premier League victory over Southampton went unpunished, but he has now been charged retrospectively.
Alonso had until 6pm yesterday to respond to the Football Association charge, with fifth-placed Chelsea travelling to seventh-placed Burnley tonight ahead of Sunday’s Wembley date with Southampton. A threegame ban would also rule Alonso out of the Premier League trip to Swansea City on April 28.
Important games
The Burnley and Southampton games are particularly important for Chelsea and head coach Antonio Conte, as they try to salvage what has been a disappointing season.
With Champions League qualification almost out of their reach, the club are aiming to finish as high as possible in the League and win the FA Cup.
The loss of Alonso would be a big blow to Conte as second-choice left-back Emerson Palmieri has started only two games all season, having suffering a serious knee injury with Roma. The Brazilian joined Chelsea in January
Chelsea will join the rest of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ in this summer’s International Champions Cup, which will be played across three continents.
The English sides will be joined by Bayern Munich, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain. Collectively, the clubs will play 27 games across 24 days in North America, Europe and Singapore. Chelsea and Arsenal will compete in Singapore and Sweden, while Liverpool, the two Manchester clubs and Tottenham Hotspur, are scheduled to play in the United States.
Manchester City open their tournament in Chicago against Borussia Dortmund on July 21, just six days after the World Cup final takes place. They then meet Liverpool in New Jersey in a replay of the Champions League quarter-final, followed by Bayern Munich in Miami a few days later.
The loss of Alonso would be a big blow to Conte as second-choice left-back Emerson Palmieri has started only two games all season, having suffering a serious knee injury with Roma.