Reaction to Köln game - Matthijs de Ligt: 'Gives us confidence for Wednesday'

Bayern recorded a 2-0 win at home to Köln on Saturday. “We're very happy we were able to collect three points,” said sporting director Christoph Freund in summary of the afternoon. Unfortunately, however, Bayern also faced some bad news as Kingsley Coman had to be subbed off just after half-time. “Obviously, that's a real blow and overshadows many things,” said head coach Thomas Tuchel. But at least Bayern enjoyed a winning warm-up for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal. “The three points are important for the league and give us confidence,” commented Aleksandar Pavlović. fcbayern.com has more of the post-match reaction.

Reaction to the home game against Köln

Christoph Freund: “We're very happy we were able to collect three points. It certainly wasn't a gala performance. We can play better and we allowed the opposition too many chances. We had difficulties settling into the game. We'd made some changes and you could feel that initially. Eventually we settled into the game, created chances and took the lead with Rapha Guerreiro's fantastic goal in the second half. It wasn't a completely commanding win but we're happy we kept the three points in Munich. Wednesday is going to be a different game. It's the Champions League and we're very positive.”

Thomas Tuchel: “We got the result we wanted. Now, we can prepare for Wednesday. We created some great chances but we allowed a few good ones too. It's not always easy to show a top performance in between two important games. Kingsley Coman's injury is obviously really bad news. That's a real blow and overshadows many things. On Wednesday, we need the full package: an extremely good defensive performance, periods during which we have the confidence to press high, and we need good possession. We need a complete performance, a little bit of luck, good form on the day, and we need the crowd so that our home advantage can hopefully become decisive."

Matthijs de Ligt: “Following the Arsenal game, today was difficult for us mentally and physically. We played an opponent who is always very compact. It's always easier against those teams when you score early. 2-0 is a good result. It was important to win. Naturally, that gives us confidence for Wednesday. It's going to be a tough game. We have to take on every individual duel.”

Eric Dier: “We're happy. It always feels good to keep a clean sheet and that gives us confidence. On Wednesday, we have to defend as a collective, show the right energy and commitment. The atmosphere and the support from our fans will definitely be outstanding and that's going to help. I'm really looking forward to it. Both teams will give it their all. Arsenal are a strong team.”

Aleksandar Pavlović: “It was really important for me to be back on the pitch. It's even more important to come out of this game with a good feeling  The three points are important for the league and obviously give us confidence going into the Arsenal game.”

Reaction from the Köln camp

Thomas Kessler (head of first team football): “Our game plan worked. We created some space when we played out from the back calmly. We managed to do that in many situations and created chances to score. However, we failed to capitalise and in Munich you get punished for that. It would have been possible to take a point away from here today. It's a shame that the fantastic goal that opened the door for Bayern came after a set piece. We defended very passionately but we weren't on the ball enough in one or two situations."

Timo Schultz (head coach): “It's not as if Bayern didn't deserve this win. We were in the game for a long time because of our good defensive performance. On top of that, we kept managing to get in front of their goal dangerously. But if you want to win points in Munich, you have to use those chances.”

Marvin Schwäbe (goalkeeper): "Maybe we're even a little bit disappointed after the final whistle because we did create some chances. In the end it's a 2-0 loss. A draw would have been okay too."

Max Finkgräfe (defender): "We had two incredible chances to score. Football is about scoring goals. You have to score if you want the points."

Match report: