After 0:3 in Rotterdam
After the sobering 3-0 loss at Feyenoord Rotterdam, they no longer believe that FC Bayern will qualify directly for the round of 16 of the Champions League. “We will accept these playoffs,” said Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen at the nightly banquet in the Dutch port city.
Due to the deserved defeat, the Munich team no longer have it in their own hands to reach the round of 16 directly and thus avoid two exhausting games in the playoffs. A miracle would have to happen to reach eighth place, Dreesen summed up the starting position in his short speech. “We have zero fear of the playoffs,” said coach Vincent Kompany.
Champions League playoffs: This is how things can continue for Bayern
If Atlético Madrid (at RB Salzburg), AC Milan (at Dinamo Zagreb), Atalanta (in Barcelona) or Bayer Leverkusen (against Sparta Prague), who can still be caught, lose on matchday eight, there will be five other teams with more points ahead of Bayern their chance to move straight into the round of 16.
The teams in places 9 to 24 will play the other eight round of 16 participants in the home and away games. The first eight teams are seeded and play away first. The placements in the league phase determine the possible playoff opponents. Teams on neighboring courts form pairs and are drawn against two designated opponents from the lower ranks. For example: places 9 & 10 meet places 23 and 24, places 11 and 12 meet places 21 and 22, and so on.
-Bayern would currently be in 15th place and, together with defending champions Real Madrid, would face either Juventus or Celtic Glasgow. Paris Saint-Germain and VfB Stuttgart are currently also in the bottom half. Duels against clubs from the same nation are possible. Borussia Dortmund is also tied on points with the German record champions in 14th place, while RB Leipzig has already been eliminated. This also threatens Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola & Co. have it in their own hands against FC Bruges on the last matchday (here at a glance) at home.
Frustration at Bayern – Kimmich: “Not a top team at the moment”
“We have to hope for a lot of support. If not, we have brought the playoffs upon ourselves,” said sports director Max Eberl. “We got a big hit on the nose today.”
Joshua Kimmich had previously bluntly denied the Bayern team the highest European level: “That at least says that we are currently not a top team in Europe, that we are too far away and too fragile.” Eberl did not want to contradict that. “We thought we were on the right track – that was suddenly destroyed today.”
“We are definitely leaving too much behind,” said Kimmich, referring to the poor exploitation of opportunities. And he complained about “how easy” it was making it for the opponent to score goals again and again: “We make too many mistakes. The opponent doesn’t play against us. The feeling is very annoying after such a clear defeat.” But something encourages him: “The group sticks together.”
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