Transcript: Vincent Kompany’s Press Conference Ahead Of Bayern Munich vs Celtic In The Champions League
Bayern Munich will play Celtic at the Allianz Arena on February 17 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League playoffs.
Bayern come into the match as heavy favorites to qualify, heading into the match with a 2-1 aggregate lead, after beating the Scottish Champions at Celtic Park last week.
Ahead of the game, Vincent Kompany spoke to the media. Here's what the Belgian manager had to say (via Bayern Munich).
Q: On Harry Kane's fitness
Kompany: It's nothing bad with Harry, but we've not got much time to recover. Sometimes you need an extra day. But we'll see how Harry feels tomorrow morning. I'm assuming it's nothing bad. We've not had long to recover.
Q: On the second leg
Kompany: It's an important game for us and the whole club tomorrow. We're really good at home. Last week it was Celtic Park, this week it's the Allianz Arena, in front of our fans.
📌 𝑼𝑷 𝑵𝑬𝑿𝑻: Champions League showdown for a place in the Round of 16! 🌟#packmas on Tuesday at the Allianz Arena 🏟️#FCBCEL #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/4m0s4Bz8vw
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) February 16, 2025
Q: On Celtic
Kompany: I've obviously watched lots of Celtic's games. They've done really well so far in the Champions League. They can always be a threat. But we won at Celtic Park, earned a point in Leverkusen. It's a good chance to do some good in these very full six days. If results are good, you've got extra strength, and that should help us tomorrow.
Q: On his team's development
Kompany: Football is decided in the two boxes. And we were almost always in the opposition box this season, scoring lots of goals. In the last game it was more in our own box and had to defend more. And we did well. You need to gain confidence from the moments where you get important results. We're eight points ahead in the Bundesliga, so we've done a lot right. But now the focus is on Celtic and what we can do well.
Q: On how Celtic will play
Kompany: A good question. You'll have to ask Brendan Rodgers, Celtic's coach. A lot can happen in a game like this. We need to be prepared for everything, whether that's sitting back or pressing high. But there's a lot in between that can determine a game. We need to be there mentally to do the right thing.
Q: On packed fixture list
Kompany: I can't say much about giving players a rest, but we trust our squad. I can't judge what'll happen in the future. I don't want to look beyond Celtic tomorrow. But we've had to make some necessary changes from time to time, and we won't complain. We've got a lot of games - that's the truth, but it's also fun. And we've got a squad that's up for it.
Q: On the final in Munich
Kompany: The loss in 2012 hasn't been mentioned since I've been here. I know it's always a headline on the outside, but we've always said it's also important for our fans to have dreams. We want to win tomorrow and will do all we can to progress to the next round. Then I'll say the same again. I'm just focusing on tomorrow.
Q: In expectations for Wednesday
Kompany: I'm talking here to people who understand it. It's the same for us as well as Celtic. You need to win every home game and make the difference. It's the same every week, for us and Celtic.
📸 Training today. #UCL pic.twitter.com/jGkVkJ6nBq
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) February 17, 2025
Q: On João Paulinha's fitness
Kompany: João has been sick. You've probably all had someone in your family who's had flu. That's what João had. He should be able to be involved, and thankfully we've got almost the full squad back.
Q: On lessons from Levurkusen
Kompany: We got a point, are eight ahead and kept a clean sheet. Our focus is now on Celtic. We need to show that tomorrow. The Leverkusen game doesn't matter now. We've scored 100 goals, had the most shots, conceded the fewest goals, allowed the fewest shots on our goal. And during this period with so many games it's now just about focusing on Celtic.
Q: On Celtic
Kompany: When you're playing against teams who are used to dominating and scoring lots of goals in their domestic league, then you have a team who are always dangerous when they get forward. Celtic showed that as well, but we did well against them. And we still have to play the second half of this tie. The parameters haven't changed. But it's our home leg and we want to take advantage of that.
We maintain our lead in the #Bundesliga table. 🔝
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) February 17, 2025
Now for two more big games this week! 💪#FCBayern #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/LvScFevmX6
Q: On his mentality
Kompany: My first thought is never about 'what happens if...'. My thought is always that we can win something. We won at Celtic Park, which doesn't happen often. Very few teams manage that. That was also the goal in Leverkusen and is again tomorrow. I'm not thinking about anything else, except whether we can perform to our best. Can we win? Ideally, you do both, but you also gets games during a season where it's just about getting the points.
Q: On tactics against Leverkusen
Kompany: When a team earns the right for you to have to sit deeper, then so be it. The opposition deserved it in that game and we did just that. We did it well. But at the end of the day, our first goal is always to win. That'll never change. But sometimes it's different and you require mentality. We also showed that.
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Joe Rusling is a UK-born sports journalist, based in Madrid. A European soccer enthusiast, he has appeared on Real Madrid TV and Sleeper Football. Covering Bayern Munich, PSG and Real Madrid On SI.