Text size

Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said on Monday that his team was fully focused on the Champions League season, the final of which will be played this year in Munich’s Allianz Arena.

“Something big is coming,” Neuer told reporters before Tuesday’s opening match at home against Dinamo Zagreb.

“The most important thing is the final in Munich. That’s where we want to go, everything else is secondary.”

“We know what this final means for the city, the fans and the players. Our motivation is simply very high.”

Six-time European champions Bayern start the new season having failed to win a title for the first time in eleven seasons, while Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen won the league and cup double.

In the Champions League, FC Bayern were eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual winners Real Madrid, who beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley to win the trophy.

Neuer and his experienced Bayern colleague Thomas Müller, who both won the 2013 and 2020 Champions League finals, are the only two players in the squad who remember the 2012 home final, which they lost on penalties to Premier League club Chelsea.

Müller addressed his followers on social media on Monday and told them: “The road to Munich begins tomorrow.”

“I’m very excited. Let’s enjoy the best football in Europe.”

Manager Vincent Kompany, who is playing his first Champions League game as a coach, told reporters: “The fans can dream.”

“The most important thing for me is that we show that on the pitch. We have a difficult game tomorrow. The most important thing is that we play well and win tomorrow.”

Bayern have won each of their opening Champions League matches since 2002, when they lost 3-2 to Deportivo La Coruna, setting off their first and only group-stage exit.

dwi/bsp