When Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Kimmich and Co walked onto the training field at Säbener Straße on Sunday morning, the fans were already crowding around the perimeter. Numerous Bayern supporters descended on the training ground for the first open session since Thomas Tuchel became coach, to watch the German record champions up close three days before the crucial quarter-final second leg against Manchester City (Wednesday, 21:00 CEST).
Large crowd at Säbener Straße
Around 2,400 spectators were in attendance, meaning the Munich boys had their hands full meeting all the selfie and autograph requests before training began for the players not involved in yesterday's match against Hoffenheim. After a disappointing 1-1 draw, the reception from the fans clearly lifted the players. After all, it's clear to everyone that the turnaround in the Champions League can only be achieved with the support of the fans.
Here are the best photos from Sunday morning's session:
"Anything's possible at the Allianz Arena," said Leon Goretzka already after full time against the Cityzens, outlining the message for the return leg on Wednesday. Midfield partner Kimmich wanted a different "reaction" in the Bundesliga after the 3-0 loss in Manchester, but ultimately believes this won't be a determining factor for the next meeting with the English champions. "The two games should be viewed completely independently. We all know we need to deliver a different performance," commented the 28-year-old, who's staying positive. "We know what we can do, but we have to do it on the pitch."
No 'grumbling' after Hoffenheim
The Bavarians therefore want to quickly put the game against TSG behind them. "We have to analyse the match and recover," declared defender de Ligt. Then it's a case of looking ahead. "It's about grasping the next chances and not looking back and grumbling," said Thomas Müller. "We need to get this game out of our minds."
With Borussia Dortmund only managing a 3-3 draw at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, the result didn't do any damage at least in terms of the table. Bayern remain two points above BVB at the top of the Bundesliga and now have two more days to prepare, draw the right conclusions and work on pulling off a sensation at the Allianz Arena. The desire to do so is certainly there.
"We need to give everything to make the seemingly impossible possible. To do that we need total conviction and belief," summarised CEO Oliver Kahn in a tweet. "With the support of the fans at the Arena anything is doable. I've experienced that myself enough times."
Read up on the facts for the second leg against Man City:
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