Celtic FC’s Kasper Schmeichel is happy that his squad is still in the running to be able to pull out a Champions League playoff round win vs. Bayern Munich. The goalkeeper understands the stakes — and the odds — but that will not stop him from believing.
“What has to go right (on Tuesday)? Pretty much everything. You’re coming up against one of the best teams in the world, but that’s not to say that it’s not just 11v11. We go out there with confidence, with hope. We’re in the tie. We’re not here just to make up room, but we’re here to try and win. We’re here to try and go through. That’s definitely going to be a difficult task, but nothing worth achieving is ever easy,” said Schmeichel (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Schmeichel saw the news that Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane missed training, but he is not going to get lulled into thinking that Kane will sit out.
“He will play,” Schmeichel said with a smile. “I know Harry from our time together at Leicester and I have played against him so many times that I can’t imagine he wouldn’t play.”
As for his counterpart in net, Manuel Neuer, Schmeichel is sure that the German will be on-point.
“I think it’s probably about 19 years ago since I played against Manuel the first time, and I followed his career very, very closely. He’s probably one of the best to ever play in goal. I’d probably say he’s the most complete goalkeeper I’ve ever seen. No weaknesses, just lots and lots of strengths. If he plays like he did the other night, then there’s no [age] limit. I’m delighted for him. He had a massive injury, and he’s come back from that. He’s still one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It’s always a pleasure to play against him,” said Schmeichel.
Finally, Schmeichel was asked if he had memories of his father beating Bayern Munich with Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League final. Schmeichel was 12-years-old at the time.
“Memories? Probably a lot of it is a bit of a blur. It was an incredible night for him,” said Schmeichel. “It’s funny because Bayern have been one of those clubs that my family has followed forever. My grandfather loved Bayern Munich, and through that, we’ve always kind of followed the club, so that night was special to play against Bayern Munich.
“It was an incredible occasion, and obviously, for our family, it was a very joyful occasion. I think Bayern went on to win it twice after that, and also, I think everyone got out what they needed.”
Will the son repeat the success of the father against the Bavarians?
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