Hola, Madrid! The FC Bayern squad has arrived safely in the Spanish capital. The Lufthansa plane touched down at Aeropuerto Madrid-Barajas at 12.30 CEST following a two and a half hour flight from Munich, after which the travelling party transferred to the team hotel. Carlo Ancelotti has taken all 21 of his fit and available players to Spain, with only long-term absentees Holger Badstuber and Douglas Costa remaining in Munich.
“We’re on a good run with eight consecutive victories,” said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the eve of the Champions League meeting away to Atlético Madrid. The 5-0 victory over Rostov on Matchday 1 had “sent out a signal,” the chairman commented. The task on Wednesday evening at Estadio Vicente Calderón would be to build on that. “We’ve not had very good results against Spanish teams in Spain over the last three years. We’ll at least try and avoid defeat tomorrow,” Rummenigge declared.
Top European team
However, Bayern are aware that the midweek encounter is likely to be their most difficult group stage fixture this season. “Atlético are certainly our toughest opponents in the group. The fact they’ve made the final twice in the last three years speaks for itself. They’re a top European team and one of the strongest teams in the Champions League,” Rummenigge noted.
The chairman is confident Ancelotti has what it takes to mastermind a good result in the Spanish capital. “Carlo knows Atlético Madrid better than any of the rest of us,” Rummenigge said, “our goal is to qualify for the Round of 16, ideally as group winners. For that we’ll need a good result tomorrow.”
Following a two-and-a-half-hour flight the Lufthansa plane bearing the squad is scheduled for a midday touchdown in Madrid. The evening programme features the obligatory pre-match press conferences and a short training session at Estadio Vicente Calderón.
Topics of this article