The whole of the Netherlands is abuzz with anticipation. “Yes, we Dutch are celebrating," confirmed Arjen Robben on the day before Queen Beatrix abdicates after 33 years on the throne and hands over to her son Willem-Alexander. “But unfortunately, I won't be able to watch live on TV," continued Robben. At the same time as the ceremonial act of coronation and appearances on the Royal Palace balcony in Amsterdam, the ultra-quick winger will be surrounded by his Bayern team-mates on the flight to Barcelona for the Champions League semi-final return. Robben is consumed with motivation in the build-up to the match: “We want to make the final, and that means playing just as well as we did in the first leg – not one single per cent less!"
Bayern lead 4-0 going into the return against the Catalan giants. “The biggest mistake we could possibly make would be to think we're already through to the final," Arjen warned, “if there is a team capable of correcting a four-goal deficit, it’s Barcelona. Maybe we'll have to concentrate even harder than the 100 percent we managed in the home game, from the first minute onwards."
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