FC Bayern will face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Hasan Salihamidžić was a guest in a live show on fcbayern.com during the draw. The board member for sport spoke about the upcoming opponents as well as releasing players to their national teams. Here are his most important statements about...
...quarter-final opponents PSG
"PSG have a very good team. Compared to last year's final, they have a new head coach in [Mauricio] Pochettino, who is doing a good job. They have top players, and in Mbappé a striker who has it all and is very dangerous. It’s a challenge at the highest level for us. Normally, home advantage is very important, but at the moment we'll have to see how and where the games can take place. They're all very attractive fixtures. We're looking forward to the games."
...releasing players for the upcoming internationals
"We talk to the players a lot, as well as the associations and are in constant discussions with the health department and the authorities. David Alaba will not travel to Scotland with the Austrian national team. He'll join the squad a few days later. It's the same with Lewy. (Editor's note: Poland play in England on 31 March) If it remains the case that those returning from England have to go into quarantine, then we won't be able to release him. But we're in discussions with the Polish Football Association and will see how things develop in the next few days."
...the team's current form
"We're trying to get into top form now. We've done brilliantly in the last few games and played in commanding fashion. We want to always play without conceding a goal if we can. We want to keep working on that. Our coaching staff are doing an excellent job of managing the training. We want to go into the international break with a win against Stuttgart and be successful in the tough upcoming games after the two weeks."
...upcoming opponents VfB Stuttgart
"They're really good opponents. It'll be a difficult game. A southern derby like this has great tradition, and I'm looking forward to the game."
...RB Leipzig as closest pursuers
"They're keeping pace. We're happy we've been successful in the last few games. But they have to be taken very seriously as pursuers."
You can find more comments from officials and players on the draw here:
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