Berlin / Munich –
The draw for the Champions League group stage 2021/22 took place in Istanbul. The reactions to the draw:
BAYERN MUNICH
Oliver Kahn (board member, via Twitter): “An exciting day in Istanbul and a demanding #UCL group for us! I’m looking forward to big evenings and also to returning to Lisbon, where we have already made history. Of course we want to go to the last sixteen as group winners! “
Hasan Salihamidzic (Sports Director): “As a player, I have always enjoyed playing against the greats. Barcelona have lost Lionel Messi. Nobody would have thought it possible that he would leave Barcelona. This is of course a different team without Messi. But they have good players in their ranks. It’s going to be a nice duel. Benfica is a traditional club, a well-known name and a really good club. It’s an interesting job. It’s also a nice stadium in Lisbon. Dynamo Kiev should not be underestimated either. We want to create the group and also be first. We have big goals in the Champions League. “
Manuel Neuer (captain): “We can’t afford to make any mistakes in this group, they are all very strong opponents. Barcelona will still be very present to all of us from 2020, which will be a very difficult task even without Messi. Benfica Lisbon is very good at playing. There is always a great atmosphere there. And we must not underestimate Kiev, they are a very strong team. In any case, I’m looking forward to this group and the duels with these great teams in Europe. “
Thomas Müller (attacker): “We caught three traditional participants from the Champions League history. I’m really looking forward to these teams, all of whom are very good at playing football. We still have fond memories of FC Barcelona from the 2020 quarter-finals. That was a great experience in Lisbon for FC Bayern. But we also have to be on our guard against Benfica and Kiev. When I think of Kiev, I immediately think of Mario Basler’s brilliant goal in the semi-finals in 1999, which paved the way to the final. “
Joshua Kimmich (midfielder): “This is definitely a very ambitious group. Barcelona is a big challenge with a lot of top players. We’re looking forward to it, these will be two great games. Benfica Lisbon is a good team, tactically flexible and therefore difficult to play on. The Ukrainian champions are there with Dynamo Kiev, which is another hurdle that you have to take with full concentration. In general, it must be our aim to master this group as the group winner. “
BORUSSIA DORTUMUND
Hans-Joachim Watzke (Managing Director): “We can’t complain, it’s a very balanced group. We have a good chance of making it to the round of 16 again. “
Michael Zorc (Sports Director): “This is a very interesting group that consists exclusively of traditional clubs. Our goal is the round of 16! “
Marco Reus (captain): “These are interesting opponents. The big teams are not there now. We can’t complain about that. I don’t really care whether we’re favorites or not. We will be well prepared. Of course, our goal is to get ahead. “
RB LEIPZIG
Oliver Mintzlaff (CEO and Managing Director): “It is of course a real hammer group. Nevertheless, it is our goal to assert ourselves in this group and to overwinter in the premier class for the third time in a row. Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are two world-class teams that were in the semi-finals and even the final of the Champions League in the preseason. Bruges are also difficult opponents who have a lot of international experience and have recently finished third in their group three times. But we have proven in recent years that we can hold our own against absolute top European teams. In accordance with our club credo, we are approaching this mission with great anticipation – You Can Do Anything. ”
Florian Scholz (Commercial Director Sport): “First of all, we are very proud to have qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the fourth time in RB Leipzig’s fifth year in the Bundesliga and to be among the 32 best teams in Europe. We were in the semi-finals in 2020 and in the second round in 2021. Reaching the knockout phase is our goal this time too, in order to establish ourselves sustainably in the top 16 in Europe. We are looking forward to big football festivals, especially in the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, where hopefully our fans can finally be there again on the international stage in the stadium. “
VfL WOLFSBURG
Koen Casteels (captain): “This is a good group for us. We didn’t hit the toughest opponents in terms of paper and the chance of advancing against these teams is probably a little bigger than in other groups. Nonetheless, we will face difficult games against Lille, Seville and Salzburg and we have to have top performances to survive against these teams. ” (dpa)
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