The FCB squad will board their Lufthansa charter flight to Barcelona on Tuesday morning, but Jupp Heynckes gathered his men some 24 hours before then for a final training session in Munich, a 60 minute workout focusing on passing and finishing. Apart from long-term absentees Holger Badstuber and Toni Kroos, centre backs Dante and Jerome Boateng played no part in the session.
However, fans need not be concerned, Heynckes informed fcbayern.de. “Dante has a slight cold, so I thought it would be better for him to stay indoors," said the coach, “it's a precautionary measure." Boateng joined his Brazilian team-mate for a solo workout in the Performance Center. “Jerome's played a lot recently," the coach explained. It was a question of resting the pair prior to the Barça clash.
Defending high up the field
Heynckes saw his men in determined and focused mood on Monday morning, prior to a match he is himself eagerly looking forward to: “We have to impose our game," he said, “we want our defensive line a long way from our own goal. Barcelona are a world-class team and they'll try everything they know. It means they'll press us from the start and try and put us under pressure."
The Reds must release that pressure, break free of Barcelona's shackles and go on the offensive, continued Heynckes: “We have to try and score a goal or two. And that's well within the bounds of possibility."
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