Reaction to the Champions League draw

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is “satisfied,” Miroslav Klose feels “it could have been a lot worse,” and coach Jürgen Klinsmann reckons “we’ve come out of it very well.“ Following Friday’s draw for the Champions League first knockout round, the Bayern camp felt confident of progressing at Sporting Lisbon’s expense, although the German champions know they must not underestimate the Portuguese. “We’ll have to put up a real fight in Lisbon,” warned club captain Mark van Bommel, “but hopefully, we’ll wrap it up in the return at the Allianz Arena.“

Reaction to the Champions League draw:

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: “We can be satisfied with the draw. It could have been a lot worse, but I want to caution against underestimating this team. We can’t take anything for granted. You can’t afford a bad day once you get to the knockout phase, and that includes matches against Sporting Lisbon. I’d like us to lay the groundwork for success in the first leg in Lisbon. We’d like to get a round or two further than in recent years, but we have to take it step by step.“

Jürgen Klinsmann: “It’s not a bad draw, we’ve come out of it very well. But we mustn’t underestimate the Portuguese. Clubs from Portugal have caused a real stir in recent years. But our goal is the quarter-finals, and we have a very good chance of making it.“

Mark van Bommel: “I think Sporting is a good draw for us. We’ll have to put up a real fight in Lisbon. But in the return, in front of what will definitely be a 66,000 full house at the Allianz Arena, we’ll hopefully wrap it up and go through.“

Miroslav Klose: “We can be happy, it could have been a lot worse. We can knock Lisbon out of Europe. I reckon our group opponents Lyon will be very angry at missing out on first place, as they’ve now got Barcelona.“

Philipp Lahm: “Think about who else was in the draw: Inter, Chelsea, Real – so we can be really pleased. Sporting Lisbon is a team Bayern can knock out and I’m very optimistic, although we must never underestimate Portuguese teams. They can play a bit, they’re technically strong and good on the ball.“

Paulo Bento (Sporting coach): “Bayern will be tough opponents. They have real class in their team, they’re technically skilled and physically strong. It’ll be a cracking duel, and we’re looking forward to both matches. It was pretty even when we played Bayern two years ago, so I’m confident we have a chance, although Bayern start as favourites.“