Bayern coach feels unfair to touch PSG
"PSG is a tough opponent," Nagelsmann said on November 7 at a press conference before the match against Werder Bremen in the 14th round of the Bundesliga. "Bayern also met tough opponents in the group stage, going through a perfect journey and still not being rewarded."
Despite falling into the group of death with Barca, Inter and Plzen, Bayern still won 18 absolute points, scored 18 goals and only conceded twice. They are the only club to win all of the Champions League group stages this season, and the first team to achieve this feat in the last three seasons.
But this position does not help Bayern breathe easier in the 1/8 round when they meet PSG - the club is considered the most difficult opponent in the group of second-place teams, next to Liverpool. The two teams met in the Champions League final in 2020, where Bayern won 1-0 thanks to a header from Kingsley Coman. However, the confrontation history is in favor of PSG, with six victories over 11 matches.
According to Nagelsmann, falling to second in the last match of the group stage does not mean that PSG are weak. He added: "They have many players of the same class as Bayern. But this is the Champions League, so it is normal not to have an easy opponent to play in the round of 16."
Not only Bayern, the remaining three representatives of Germany also face challenges. In particular, the match between RB Leipzig and Man City is considered to be the most disparate. The rest, Dortmund meets Chelsea - the Champions League champion in the 2020-2021 season, while Frankfurt plays Napoli - the team that is leading Serie A with an unbeaten circuit. "All German clubs have drawn tough opponents," commented Nagelsmann. "Once we have passed the group stage, there is no easy opponent to play anymore. But the 1/8 round of the Champions League is still very far away, due to the 2022 World Cup in between."
Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn joked that meeting PSG was "fate", and highly appreciated the quality of the Ligue 1 representative's squad. The former Germany goalkeeper said: "PSG has a very balanced squad between attack, Midfielders and defence, they are both world-class players, very experienced, but so are we. This is a game between two of the top clubs in European football, and I'm sure that's ahead. It will be two exciting matches."
Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic said that the two teams' chances of progressing to the next round are equal, believing that this is a top match and I am very anxious to wait. "Bayern are playing well, but we have to see what state the players are in after the 2022 World Cup. The most important thing is to get them back in good shape," he said.
Striker Thomas Muller considers Bayern and PSG to be two of the strongest teams in the league, possessing many good players. "It's a pity that one team will have to leave the game after the round of 16. I can't wait to face PSG in a big game of the football world," he said on Twitter.
After the match against Werder Bremen today, Bayern was also a guest of Schalke in the 15th round of the Bundesliga on November 12, before the season was paused to make way for the 2022 World Cup. After a struggling period, "Gray Lobster" has found return to form with a four-match winning streak to return to the top of the table with 28 points, one point ahead of Freiburg.
