The first leg of Bayern Munich’s UEFA Champions League semi-final match against Real Madrid will take place on Tuesday night at the Allianz Arena. Real Madrid will be the opponent team.
Joshua Kimmich, a staple in the middle of the field for Bayern Munich, agreed to an interview with AS before the monumental match against the Merengues. During the course of the discussion, he addressed the possibility of playing against Carlo Ancelotti’s team as well as a number of their players.
In the most recent matchup between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, which took place in the semifinals of the Champions League in 2018, Los Blancos emerged victorious by their victory.
Despite the fact that Kimmich participated in each of those matches and even scored on both occasions, Bayern Football Club was not able to qualify for the tournament. To the question of whether he was looking forward to the rematch, he responded as follows:
Because of the significant differences between the two teams at this point, I do not believe that it will be a true rematch. There are a few players who competed in 2018, which is six years behind the current year. We have had a great deal of time to improve our performance. The teams have not been the same. Right now, there are two games that couldn’t be more contrasting.
He continued by saying, “Whenever you watch Madrid in the Champions League, you see their great mentality and quality.” This was in reference to the fact that facing Real Madrid in the Champions League had a unique significance. They have a formidable group of players. A great deal of experience in addition to a great deal of skill.
“This is something that you can sense, particularly in the games that are significant in the Champions League. One gets the impression that they have greater experience, and that they have something unique to offer in terms of the Champions League.
When I scored goals for them two years ago, they began to lose both games, but they eventually won them back. Whenever the game is over, they always switch things around. It is not just about quality, but also about mindset, and they possess both of these qualities. As far as we are aware, they have a pretty powerful squad.
In recent weeks, manager Thomas Tuchel has requested that Kimmich play right back, which is where he began his career. This is despite the fact that Kimmich has spent the most of his career playing defensive midfielder.
When Kimmich was playing right back in the past, he was able to stop Kylian Mbappe from being a menace to the defensive unit. Vinicius Jr. is going to be the opponent for the German international, who is going to face off against another elite winger.
The majority of the time, whether you are lucky or unfortunate, you will be playing against the best player on the other side, who is either playing right back or left back. You have players such as Mbappé or Vinicius of France… The two players are now considered to be among the finest in European football, according to Kimmich.
Regarding one-on-one scenarios, I am aware that he is incredibly powerful. As Kylian Mbappé would say. That being said, I am quite excited to fight against him and confront him.
He continued by saying, “We all have some weaknesses and some strengths,” in reference to the skills and limitations that Vinicius has as a player himself. I do not like to discuss the shortcomings that he has.
The player known as Vinicius is very powerful. It is necessary for me to focus and protect, and when I am given the chance to attack, it is only natural that I would want to attack. Nevertheless, at the beginning, we need to concentrate on defending and playing our game with full attention.
Kimmich is going to be competing against Carlo Ancelotti, a manager whom he really worked with when he was at Bayern Munich. Upon being asked whether he was taken aback by the Italian’s achievements at Real Madrid, he responded as follows:
In no way, shape, or form. Previously, he had a great deal of success with the managerial approach he used. Unfortunately, he did not have the same level of success with us. On the other hand, I am familiar with him as a coach. There is a lot of individual skill and a lot of mindset on the squad that he has, and I am familiar with that. It’s possible that he would be an excellent coach for this group.
Kimmich made the following statement in response to his encounter with Toni Kroos, who announced his comeback to the German national team despite having resigned from the sport in the past:
It makes me delighted to see him every time. This is especially true for the national team. His return has brought me a great deal of joy. Playing with him is always a pleasant experience. Additionally, I take pleasure in competing against him. The first time we met was in 2018, but at this point, it is only natural that we desire to triumph over them. “We have a fresh opportunity.”
He continued by saying, “We sent each other messages after our quarter-final matches, because we had talked before, in the national team, about a possible meeting in the semi-finals.” This was in response to the question of whether or not he had communicated with Kroos before to the encounter in the Super Cup. What’s more, we won.
“We are overjoyed about it,” she said. There was a fifty-fifty likelihood that either we would score against Arsenal or they would score versus City. We are both relieved to have arrived at this point and to be able to greet one other.
The following is a comment that Kimmich made in response to the question of whether or not he has been shocked by the influence of Jude Bellingham, who moved to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in the summer:
One thing that does not come as a surprise to me is that he has an effect. However, the fact that he has scored a significant number of goals is a remarkable accomplishment. I believe that he is a terrific player. Considering his age, the fact that he has such a mindset makes him unique. It is very, very easy to see him fitting in with a squad like Madrid.
In light of the fact that Kimmich’s contract is set to expire the next year, there have been concerns over his future. When asked whether he would be open to the idea of moving to Spain, he responded as follows:
“I would want to have a conversation with Bayern. In addition, I will not go out and speak to the press about it after I have completed that task. I am just concerned with the two matches that are played versus Real Madrid.
At this very time, I am not paying any attention to this. As I already said, I will initially approach Bayern. However, there is beyond a doubt that Barcelona and Real Madrid are both wonderful clubs that have a tremendous history.