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Tom Hamilton, senior writer
Thomas Tuchel has agreed that Bayern Munich will play against every fan who wants to end their dominance of the Bundesliga when they travel to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. (12:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)
Bayern is two points behind Leverkusen in the standings, and Tuchel said that his players will feel like competitors to the great tennis player Roger Federer at the BayArena.
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He said that any neutral would want the German League leaders to expand the gap at the top of the league and help end Bayern’s run, which won 11 titles in a row.
Despite this, Tuchel is full of confidence in his side’s ability to end Leverkusen’s remarkable 30-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Tuchel said: “Thirty teams tried to beat them, and none of them were able to do it. We will see tomorrow.”
He added: “This line is exceptional, of course, but we are only two points short.
“That’s why we don’t have to hide. It’s the early days of the season but it seems like an unusual game where we have to put our cards on the table. It’s a great opportunity for us. We travel to Leverkusen to win.” .
“We are playing against a lot of ‘neutral’ fans who want Leverkusen to win the title. But we are playing for our expectations and for the title.”
Tuchel is fully aware that fans of other teams are hoping his team loses on Saturday.
“Yes, this is always there – it happens in tennis when you play against Roger Federer – you are always playing against his aura and the neutral crowd because of his elegance and ease of appearance. All this makes it more difficult for Rafael Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic. It’s the same with us, which makes it even more difficult.
“We have a great fan base, you have support on the road with rowdy fans and that’s what you live for.
“You know the neutral fans will love the attention and you can appreciate that there are two teams competing for first place at a consistent level. Stuttgart is not too far away either.
“But we, as favorites to win the title for many years, have more to lose than our rival, but that makes us winners and we have winners in the team. We cannot change the situation we are in, but we are ready.”
Bayern will be without the injured Alphonso Davies For the trip while the goalkeeper Manuel Neuer He will be given until the last minute to prove his fitness. However, Tuchel is hoping to get both Joshua Kimmich And Dayot Upamecano available.
“You don’t need a sign from Josh [Kimmich]. “He is always ready,” Tuchel said.
“He is exceptional in his attitude. [Dayot Upamecano] It’s similar, [he] He has enjoyed excellent development in his mentality. They have both gone through the full rehabilitation process. “If nothing unusual happens, they will be ready.”
Tuchel also expressed his admiration for the work done by his counterpart Xabi Alonso in Leverkusen.
“It’s a very important foundation. Leverkusen was good at planning the team. Xabi Alonso’s mark is clear there,” Tuchel said.
“High praise, but we are still unwilling to change our style. We have room for improvement in our way of playing.
“We are used to things like injury absences and we have not lost anything.”
