Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich’s busy match schedule should have no impact on its performance in Saturday’s big match at champions Bayer Leverkusen, coach Vincent Kompany said on Friday.
Bayern beat Celtic 2-1 in Glasgow on Wednesday in the first leg of its Champions League playoff for a spot in the Round of 16. The second leg on Tuesday is just three days after the game at Leverkusen.
“That (busy schedule) shouldn’t play a role, but it could play a role,” Kompany told a press conference. “We are used to that, we are mentally there.
“We have the squad for that, we have almost no injuries at the moment. That is why we will not say that the game isn’t coming at the right moment.”
The Bavarians are on 54 points, eight points clear of second-placed Leverkusen, and victory would open up an 11-point gap with 12 league games remaining.
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Leverkusen will be somewhat fresher, having not needed a Champions League playoff after qualifying automatically for the Round of 16 with a top-eight finish in the league phase.
“The game is of interest to a lot of people. You have to remember that in the last 18 months they only lost once in the league. That shows how well they’re working. We want to be one of the teams that win there,” he said.
Leverkusen won last season’s league and German Cup double without a single defeat. So far it has lost one game this season in the Bundesliga.
“You never know exactly 100% what to expect against Leverkusen. We know the intensity and quality will be high,” Kompany said. “Our aim is to win this game and if it works then it will be a good weekend.”