When João Palhinha walks out to warm up with his teammates at Bayern’s home ground on Sunday, it won’t exactly be new territory for him. It was just over three years ago that he came to the Allianz Arena with Portugal at Euro 2020. “I remember the fantastic stadium, but I prefer not to remember the result,” said a laughing Palhinha. The midfielder had a watching brief from the bench that day as Portugal were beaten 4-2 by a Germany side featuring Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer on their home turf. Now he can barely wait to play alongside them for the first time in Munich’s iconic stadium.
Palhinha: “Will be a dream come true for me”
“We were able to train in the stadium. Now I get to experience it in a Bayern shirt. Honestly, I didn’t see it coming. It’ll be a dream come true for me,” stated the 29-year-old. We’ll have to wait and see whether Palhinha gets to make his Bundesliga debut in the first home game of the season, or whether Vincent Kompany opts to stick with the team that won 3-2 in Wolfsburg on opening weekend. Either way, Palhinha is excited ahead of his first game at the Allianz Arena.
João Palhinha is getting ready for his home debut in the Bundesliga, which is “a very physical league like the Premier League”.
“Getting to play my first Bundesliga game for Bayern at the Allianz Arena would be special,” said the midfielder. “I hope we can get another win. That’s the most important thing.” It’s also worth remembering that Portugal’s visit to Munich three years ago came when the stadium was operating with a reduced capacity due to Covid-19 restrictions. “The Allianz Arena is normally always sold out, so I’m getting tingles a bit about experiencing the atmosphere there and seeing how the fans push us and help us win the game.”
„We’re facing a good opponent, but we’re Bayern Munich and want to win.”
João Palhinha ahead of Freiburg at home
However, the summer arrival is also aware that that won’t be a given. “I observed my teammates against Wolfsburg. Like the Premier League, the Bundesliga is a very physical league. The intensity is high. Other teams are also good. There are no easy game,” said Palhinha, also looking ahead to Sunday: “Freiburg arrive after an important win against Stuttgart. We’re facing a good opponent, but we’re Bayern Munich and want to win.”
fcbayern.com has the key stats ahead of welcoming Freiburg:
Topics of this article