Jens Scheuer has said Bayern Munich Women have “more to win than lose” when they face the Champions League holders Lyon in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Lyon have won the past four tournaments and are clear favourites. The Bayern manager, though, is happy with his team’s preparations and cannot wait for the game to kick off.
“Lyon is the top favourite,” Scheuer said. “But we can live with that because that means we have more to win than to lose. For Lyon, that is different because they are expected to win. That is our chance. I know we have quality and we have seen that in our preparations.
“We will obviously need a little luck but I am convinced we will be able to keep the game tight. And, no kidding, I get goosebumps thinking about the game and I know that the players are feeling the same way.”
Bayern have played three friendlies to prepare for the match in Bilbao, winning all of them. They beat Slavia Prague in their final preparation test 4-0 last weekend. Scheuer will have five of his six new signings available – Lea Schüller (Essen), Sarah Zadrazil (Turbine Potsdam), Viviane Asseyi (Bordeaux), Marina Hegering (Essen), Hanna Glas (Paris Saint-Germain) – but Klara Bühl (Freiburg) is out with a shoulder injury.
“We cannot compare our preparations to those of Lyon though,” Scheuer said. “They have played a cup semi-final and a final, so two competitive games. We did finish our Bundesliga season and they didn’t play in the league but I am not going to think about who has an advantage there. We will focus on ourselves and we have certainly done all we can in our preparations.”
The Lyon coach, Jean-Luc Vasseur, confirmed that Ada Hegerberg is not in his squad but backed his side to come through a difficult test.
“The hardest part is staying at the top,” he said. “That’s what drives me like the players and the staff. Everyone is waiting for us at every turn… We expect a tough, tough game. It’s up to us to have the right aggressiveness in the duels that will be offered to us.”
