MUNICH (DPA, CONVERSEER) – Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said that he’s not bothered by pressure ahead of Wednesday’s German Cup second round against Cologne.
“I always like it when we’ve got a bit of pressure. That’s never had a bad impact on my team. I always feel like when the performance is right, we’ve got a big chance of reaching the next round or getting three points,” he said in a news conference on Tuesday.
Bayern are the competition’s record winners (20 titles), but haven’t reached a final since 2020, when they also claimed their last Cup title.
To make matters worse, in the past five seasons, Bayern have been eliminated in the second round three times.
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“Pressure doesn’t bother me. But the desire to be in a Cup final doesn’t just come from the fans but also from us,” Kompany said.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is suspended, and former Cologne player Jonas Urbig will be the man between the posts.
Urbig was already in the starting line-up in last weekend’s 3-0 Bundesliga win at Borussia Mönchengladbach as Kompany wanted to give him some extra playing time ahead of the trip to Cologne.
“He has shown that he’s at a very high level at a young age. He’s got a perfect platform with Manuel Neuer, Sven Ulreich and our goalkeeping team. It’s the perfect path for him right now,” Kompany said.
It’s unclear, however, whether Neuer will travel with the team.
“It’s up to Manuel if he comes with us or not. He needs to prepare for (the Bundesliga match against Bayer) Leverkusen (on Saturday). That’s his job. But we’re playing again very quickly after Köln, so his preparation is key,” Kompany explained.
