At the start of the new Champions League season, Bayern captain Manuel Neuer highlighted the importance of the final in the home arena. “The most important thing in the end is: the final is in Munich. We want to get there and everything else is secondary now,” said the goalkeeper of the German record champions before the opening match on Tuesday (9 p.m./DAZN) against Dinamo Zagreb. “We will give everything to get there.”
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Neuer remembers glorious season
On May 31, 2025, the final of the European football premier class will take place for the second time in the Allianz Arena – 13 years after the unforgettable and painful penalty drama against Chelsea FC. “Back in 2012, that was also a season without a title and unfortunately we had to experience that again last season. That’s why it’s always an incentive. We all know what came after that: That was the treble,” Neuer recalled the glorious 2012/13 season. The motivation to achieve something like that again is very high.
“It would of course be great if it could happen in our own city,” said the 38-year-old. “We just have to do our homework in the first game and try to be there in the Champions League right from the start.” Leon Goretzka is also back in the squad for the game against Zagreb following the loss of right-back Sacha Boey. The midfielder was not included in the squad against Kiel.
Kompany’s wish
“We had to leave a player at home against Kiel. Sacha Boey is now out, so that’s not an issue,” said coach Vincent Kompany, who, like Neuer, dared to take a fleeting look at the Champions League final that is still a long way off. “The dream is there for the fans. We hope that the fans can dream for a long time.”
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Other opponents on the way to the knockout rounds are Aston Villa, FC Barcelona, Benfica Lisbon, Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord Rotterdam and Slovan Bratislava. For Kompany, the match against Zagreb is his first Champions League game as a coach. When asked about his outfit for this special evening in the premier class, he smiled. “I haven’t thought about it for a second,” said the 38-year-old Belgian.
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