The Champions League round of 16 has served up a crackerjack of a tie, with FC Bayern facing Paris Saint-Germain in the first knockout round of this season’s competition. “At the end of the day, we can look forward to two great games with some of the best players in Europe,” said CEO Oliver Kahn following the draw in Nyon, Switzerland at midday on Monday. “It’s a treat for every football fan,“ commented board member for sport Hasan Salihamid žić.
fcbayern.com has compiled the reaction to the draw.
Reaction to the UCL round of 16 draw
Oliver Kahn, CEO: “We’ve had experiences with Paris - one very positive. They‘re one of the toughest opponents you can get. We know exactly what we’re up against. I think they’ll be two highly attractive games. It’s 50:50 in games like that. It depends on a lot of factors, like form on the day and that little bit of luck you need. Paris have also seen how we performed in the group stage, but lots will happen between now and then. At the end of the day, we can look forward to two great games with some of the best players in Europe. This is also a form of motivation, which will carry us through the next months.”
Hasan Salihamidžić, board member for sport: “It’s a top match against top opposition, one of the best teams in the world with absolute global superstars. I’m looking forward to the games. It’s a treat for every football fan. We did very well in the group, the boys got the job done brilliantly. We can look forward to the Champions League. They’re a team with top-quality players, who were also unbeaten in their group. These are the meetings that football fans want.”
Julian Nagelsmann: “They’re tough opponents but we already had tough opponents in the group phase. We’ve not really been rewarded for a perfect group phase. The same goes for Paris - they won’t be rejoicing that they’ve got us. It’s still a long way off, we’ve got the World Cup and a few other matches before then. They’re tough opponents who have a lot of world-class players. The same is true of us - that’s just the Champions League.”
Manuel Neuer: “We’re looking forward to the round of 16 and know that we’re in for a tough task. We’ve had good and bad experiences against Paris. Our defensive performance will be important because they’ve got a forward line packed with big names. If we stand strong and bring our attacking power, then we’ve certainly got a chance of progressing. We’re looking forward to both matches. It’s an evenly matched tie. It’s a feature of the Champions League that you can come up against top opponents. It’ll be important for us to be on the ball from the start.”
Kingsley Coman: “It could almost be the final, but fine, we have to take it as it comes. And what’s coming is very difficult opponents with outstanding individual players. We won in the final in 2020, then got narrowly beaten in the quarter-finals in 2021, so now it’s our turn again.”
Lucas Hernández: “We’ve been drawn against a great team in Paris, whose firepower is massive with the likes of Neymar, Mbappé and Messi. I’m already looking forward to these two games. Hopefully we’ll do better than last season, when we narrowly came unstuck against Paris in the quarter-finals.”
Matthijs de Ligt: “I’m massively looking forward to these encounters, it’s going to be a feast for all football fans. It’s a meeting between two of the best teams in Europe, so we’re hoping for two great games - obviously with the better outcome for Bayern.”
A closer look at opponents PSG: