Excitement mounts! FC Bayern return to Bundesliga action at Union Berlin on Sunday (18.00 CET) in the first match since suspension of the league due to the coronavirus pandemic. Head coach Hansi Flick responded to online questions on the Bundesliga restart. What is he expecting in the forthcoming games behind closed doors, who is available for the Sunday match in Berlin and what is his assessment of the opposition? Two days ahead of the clash, fcbayern.com brings you Hansi Flick’s key statements on the game.
Flick on games behind closed doors:
“Of course, it is different: Fans and emotion are the be-all and end-all of football. Everybody prefers to play in front of spectators. The preconditions are the same for everyone. It all depends on who can deal with it best. There are nine games to go, a power-play season, a short tournament. It’s all back to square one. I hope we can come to terms with these circumstances very quickly and show our quality. It’s important for the players to push themselves. If something doesn’t work out then the team has to deal with it. It can be from the bench and have a positive and motivational effect.”
Flick on personnel issues:
“I’m very happy with the condition of the team! We still have three long-term injuries: Philippe Coutinho, Corentin Tolisso and Niklas Süle. Javi Martinéz has only done running training so we don’t know if it’s enough. Everyone else is available.”
Flick on the fitness level of his team:
“We’ve trained hard and seen the physical conditions are right. We had an internal friendly with three times 20-minutes on Sunday. The intensity was very high. I hope we can reproduce that in Berlin. It’s about showing our quality in every game. I think a certain mentality is an advantage. That’s what you need in football. Just playing pretty football won’t see us ending the games in the way we want to.”
Flick on opponents Union Berlin:
“We’re playing against Union Berlin and they’re a team with a great mentality. They won promotion and are home to FC Bayern. We will face an aggressive team that takes the direct route to goal. We need to stand up and be counted. We can’t get a result just through the quality of our football. We have to show our mentality and take on challenges.”
Flick on the option of making five substitutions:
“I’ve got two more options so I’m very happy, particularly in this situation. I hope it won’t be used just to waste time. We’ll use it to substitute a player who’s tired. That’s great in weeks with lots of games. I’m very happy with the option.”
Flick on professional football as a role model:
“We can be happy to be able to play again. Lots of things have been done right in Germany. We’ve gained the confidence of the government thanks to the DFL concept. The whole world is watching Germany to see how we do it. It can act as an example for all leagues. Then sport in general might be able to get going again. At the moment, it’s important to implement things exactly as required. We have a big role model function.”
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