A statistic worthy of Europe’s premier club competition: in four Champions League games this season, Leroy Sané has registered four goals and two assists, making him the Bayern player with the most goal involvements in Europe. Now the aim is to further improve that impressive record in the round of 16 first leg at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday (21:00 CET). We spoke to the wing wizard about the hotly anticipated clash.
Interview with Leroy Sané
Sané has been directly involved in six goals for FC Bayern in this Champions League campaign, including both in the 2-0 win in Milan.
Servus, Leroy. How excited are you for this Champions League biggie in Paris?
Leroy Sané: “I’m massively looking forward to it. But not just me, the whole team, everyone at the club and the fans are looking forward to the Champions League because it’s always something special. It’s going to be fascinating against Paris, they have some big names in their ranks.”
How are you and the team feeling right now?
“I’m always optimistic, and we‘ve consistently delivered particularly in the Champions League. FC Bayern have always performed well in this competition. We know our strengths and we need to call on them against Paris. We need to be there at the right moment. Our team consists of great footballers. We’re solid in defence, and up front it’s all about attack!”
Thomas Müller said that PSG have “magicians” in attack.
“PSG have outstanding players. I remember when I was younger and couldn’t believe I was suddenly playing against players of this calibre. Previously I’d only seen them on the PlayStation or on TV – and then all of a sudden you’re standing next to them on the pitch (laughs). Early on in my career, I lay in bed at night after games like this and was still a bit dazed by what had just happened. You have to focus on your game and just enjoy it. We know what to do.”
The 27-year-old regularly produces magic in the Champions League – now it’s required against the “magicians” of Paris Saint-Germain, as Thomas Müller said.
Bayern narrowly lost to PSG in the quarter-finals two years ago. Is that still in the back of your minds?
"That's a while ago now. I'm just focusing on this current match-up now. We'll try to get ourselves into a better position in the first leg than we did in 2021. I'll do everything for that, and that's enough motivation."
📺 In this video, Sané discusses the Champions League so far and commentates on his highlights:
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