Bayern Munich are not giving up hope as they go into their Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona on Tuesday night.
Although they trail the Spanish giants 3-0, they believe it is still only half-time in the clash between two of Europe’s leading clubs. There are still (at least) 90 minutes to play.
“What matters to us is a good result, ideally a win. Let’s wait and see if we can do even better than that,” Bayern Chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, told FCB.tv free Web Radio.
“We’re neither pessimistic nor optimistic – we’re realistic. In other words: we have a small chance, but a small chance is also a chance.”
Pep Guardiola took a similar view. “We won’t give up. We’re 3-0 down to the best European team of the last 15 to 20 years. But we’ll give it a try.
“We need to control the play. They have outstanding counter-attacking players. If we don’t keep our shape, they’ll punish us brutally,” the coach warned.
Guardiola urged his men to take the few chances that come their way. “Obviously we have to attack better than we did in Barcelona, where we weren’t able to create meaningful chances.”
Bayern Striker, Thomas Müller, also expressed cautious optimism ahead of the game, preferring to depend on the “passion, desire and support from the fans”.
Speaking to the media at the Allianz Arena, he said, “We have nothing to lose and we have to go for it. We’ll give it everything and keep believing until the ref blows the final whistle.”
