While his team-mates fought to secure a good result in Manchester ahead of the return leg in the Champions League quarter-final, Dante was sat in a television studio near Munich. The cheerful Brazilian had to stay at home due to a one-match ban. “It felt really bad,” admitted Dante in an exclusive interview with fcbayern.de. But that’s all done and dusted now: the central defender and his fellow Reds can focus on qualifying for the last four of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Why FC Bayern have to “play to win”, the significance of home advantage and why Wayne Rooney is a “world-class striker” are all revealed in the exchange with the Brazil international.
Dante on...
...his role as spectator in the first leg: “That felt really bad. I definitely wanted to help the team out - but I couldn’t. They did well at the end of the day. We can be pleased with a 1-1 draw away to a top club like Manchester United. It’s up to us to wrap it up at home.”
…the second leg: “We’ve got to play to win. We’ll end up losing if we play for a goalless draw. We’ve got be aggressive going forward from the start and try to score. Manchester United will sit back again. They’ll take more risks the longer the game goes on.”
…home advantage: “We’re at home in front of nearly 70,000 fans. The Arena has to be like a cauldron. We need the atmosphere, we need our fans. I expect they will get behind us and be the twelfth man.”
…Wayne Rooney: “I played against him for Brazil. He’s a world-class striker. He reads the game well, he’s lightning fast over the first few yards and he has a brilliant shot. We’ll have to be on our toes at the back - even if he’s not in the side. Manchester United have a lot of quality players.”
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