Bayern have been spared an early head-to-head with a top club from England or Spain, but Olympique Lyon, Steaua Bucharest and AC Fiorentina represents a challenging group stage line-up for Jürgen Klinsmann and his men. "Plenty could happen in this group,“ the Bayern boss mused on Thursday evening.
Reaction to Champions League draw:
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: "No-one should underestimate the difficulty of this group. Lyon, Bucharest and Florence are hard to play against, big clubs in their home countries. The duel with Fiorentina is obviously a cracker for Luca Toni and the fans here and in Italy. I'm looking forward to the matches, and I'm confident we'll make the next stage.“
Jürgen Klinsmann: "There are no easy groups in the Champions League. The meeting with Florence has an edge because of Luca Toni, Lyon are a big name and Steaua Bucharest play good football. Plenty could happen in this group. It'll be a very, very close affair, but we're really looking forward to the Champions League.“
Franck Ribéry: "I'd rather have played one of the really big teams like Chelsea, Manchester or Arsenal, and certainly not Lyon. I know from my own experience how good they are, and how difficult they are to beat."
Daniel van Buyten: "I think it's manageable, although we'll obviously never underestimate our opponents. I actually rate Fiorentina as our biggest rivals for top spot."
Miroslav Klose: "It could have been worse, but we'll have to mind how we go nonetheless. I lost 7-2 in Lyon with Bremen, so not exactly happy memories there. Mutu and Gilardino are a strong forward line for Fiorentina. Bucharest are less well-known, which makes it even more important to take them seriously.“
Philipp Lahm: "We need to focus on ourselves. If we perform, we'll make the next round. It's manageable, although it's by no means easy.“
Michael Rensing: "It's an awkward group with strong opponents, but we can be pleased enough. The Lyon games will have an edge, there's history between the two clubs.“
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