Bayern Munich Manuel Neuer admits Lazio are ‘not the biggest name’ but is convinced the Bavarians won’t underestimate the Biancocelesti: ‘They can defend very well, particularly in the centre of the pitch.’
Lazio host Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday.
Germany international Neuer previewed the game at a pre-match press conference, speaking before his coach Thomas Tuchel.
Neuer has had knee issues but is fit to face the Biancocelesti tomorrow.
“My knee is doing well. I had a couple of problems, I still have slight problems, but it’s not that I won’t be able to play,” he said.
“I am optimistic about it. We were looking forward to playing against Leverkusen, a top team in Germany, but when you lose the way you did, it definitely makes you think. We analysed the game with the coach. We discussed a couple of topics. We have ourselves to blame and now it’s a good thing that we play in the Champions League tomorrow and two games in the knock-out rounds. We want to perform as well as possible and make amends for what went wrong at Leverkusen.”
What does he expect from Lazio tomorrow?
“First of all, it’s an Italian team. They can defend very well, particularly in the centre of the pitch,” said Neuer.
“They will be very compact and try to lead us to the wings and try to deny the centre. Lazio is not the biggest name and could sound easy for some people, but we know we already had problems with arguably easy opponents. However, we did a good job in the group phase against teams like Manchester United and Galatasaray. I would never say this is a small team. They deserve to be in the knock-out stages and we are not going to underestimate any team.”
Harry Kane has already netted 28 times for the Bavarians this term but failed to impress in a 3-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen this past weekend. What was the problem for the English international?
“I think we were not smart on the pitch. The way we played was not according to plans, so it wasn’t easy for Kane,” noted Neuer.
“He needs to be fed by us. You have seen during the season that when he has the ball in dangerous spaces, then he is a phenomenon. We have to get into these dangerous spaces with the ball and we’ll be successful.”
Bayern Munich sit second in the Bundesliga table, five points below Bayer Leverkusen, so can they be credible contenders to win the Champions League this season?
“I can only emphasise that after such a bad experience as against Leverkusen, it is good to play quickly,” said Neuer.
“We must see our successes in the Champions League season so far and go from there. Obviously, it’s not so easy to just put away what happened at Leverkusen, but we, as professionals, must always react after a loss, an injury, or tough experiences. This is what a professional is about. We must find motivation inside us, get together and see the Champions League crown as our goal.”