The clock is ticking down to the biggest match in FC Basel’s history, when the Swiss champions take on Bayern in front of a full house at their home St Jakob Park at 8.45 pm CET this evening. With the excitement reaching fever pitch in the city situated at the point where Switzerland, France and Germany meet, fcbayern.de brings you the very latest news from the build-up and a flavour of the pre-match excitement.
Basel v Bayern: Matchday latest
Xherdan Shaqiri:
“Shaq, blow them away!" screamed the lead sports headline in Swiss tabloid Blick this morning. Basel’s hopes rest squarely on the future Munich man, whose nicknames include ‘Magic Dwarf’ and ‘Power Cube’. “We’ll have to be perfect, like we were against Manchester," said the 20-year-old, “we’ll have to give it everything, not just for 90, but for 95 minutes."
Jupp Heynckes reckons there is no danger of the occasion getting to the youngster. “The way I know him, he'll try and turn in a really good performance," said the coach, revealing a candid phone call with the versatile midfielder: “He said I'd have to show understanding when he scores. I told him we’ll be stopping him."
Shaqiri himself said he “would not shy away" from scoring a decisive goal, a sentiment underlined by home boss Heiko Vogel: “He'll give everything for us in both matches. He's a solid character and obsessed with football."
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