Dortmund hope Bayern distracted by Champions League loss-Kovac
BERLIN, April 11 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich's Champions League loss to Inter Milan could prove a distraction for the Bavarians in the Bundesliga Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, and the visitors need to take advantage of it, Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said on Friday.
Bayern suffered a 2-1 home loss in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday with the return leg next week in Milan.
Kovac, whose team lost 4-0 to Barcelona on Wednesday in their quarter-final to all but end their Champions League run, said Bayern could be distracted by their return leg in Italy and their better chances of advancing.
"Bayern have a tough task ahead of them in Milan, to turn the tie," Kovac told a press conference. "In their heads they may be a bit in Milan and we will have to take advantage of that in Munich.
"But that can happen only if we are at 100%. If we put in less than 100% it is difficult to decide the game in our favour."
Bayern are in top spot on 68 points, six clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, while Dortmund are eighth on 41, five off fourth spot that leads to automatic Champions League qualification.
Kovac said his team needed to be far sharper than against Barcelona if they wanted to have any chance in Munich.
"When you play football you have to work collectively and we did not do that against Barcelona," he added.
"That is what I addressed and what we need to change for tomorrow's game because Bayern also have world class players. If we don't do that it will be tough in Munich this is what I demand and I will demand it tomorrow as well."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Viktor Gyokeres receives £11m contract offer after Arsenal and Man Utd bids
Viktor Gyokeres has received a rival contract offer worth £11m-a-year after holding talks with Arsenal and Manchester United, according to reports. The 27-year-old has been in talks with Premier League giants Arsenal and Man United following another sensational season at Sporting Lisbon. Signed from Championship side Coventry City in 2023, Gyokeres scored 43 goals during his first season at Sporting under United manager Ruben Amorim. Gyokeres went to another level last season, scoring 54 goals in 52 appearances as Sporting clinched the Portuguese league title. Arsenal and Manchester United were thought to be in a direct battle to sign Gyokeres, who has a release clause of £84m but is available for closer to £70m. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Mikel Arteta is desperate to sign a new striker after going yet another season without a trophy and would happily welcome Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko to the Emirates Stadium. Amorim had been hoping to book a reunion with his former Sporting star at Old Trafford despite United finishing just 15th in the Premier League and failing to qualify for the Champions League. But Portuguese outlet Report claimed over the weekend that Gyokeres had decided against joining Manchester United this summer and was instead pushing for a move to Arsenal. That appeared to leave Arsenal in pole position to win the transfer race but the situation was complicated further by reports that the Gunners are becoming 'fed up' with negotiations with both the player and his current club. According to Corriere dello Sport, Juventus are planning to take advantage of the uncertainty by hijacking the transfer and bringing Gyokeres to Turin. It is claimed that after talks with Gyokeres' representatives the Serie A giants indicated they are ready to draw up a contract worth £11m-a-year. Any Juve move for Gyokeres will, however, rely first on the club offloading current striker Dusan Vlahovic, who continues to be linked with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. Reports in Italy also say Juventus are planning to make an official offer for Gyokeres, believed to be worth more than £60m, 'in the next few days'. Arsenal and Manchester United could yet face further competition for Gyokeres from Saudi Arabia, who are keen to add another star name to their league. Gyokeres recently rejected an approach from Al Hilal but may make a U-turn if moves to Arsenal, United or Juventus fail to materialise. Spending another season at Sporting Lisbon appears to be off the table, with Gyokeres believed to be 'furious' at his club over their approach to his potential sale. Ex-England defender Rio Ferdinand believes Gyokeres should 'cause a nightmare' at Sporting to force a move this summer. 'I'll tell you one thing, I would be in his office [Sporting president Frederico Varandas] and he wouldn't be able to leave me,' Ferdinand told talkSPORT when asked about the latest rumours. 'I'd be in his bed, I'd be in his front room, his kitchen, he wouldn't be able to get me out of his sight. I'd be causing him a nightmare to get out if we'd had an agreement. 'I did that when I was at Leeds. I heard that Manchester United were interested in me and I knew had to let me go. 'I went to Peter Ridsdale and said, 'Listen, I know you need to sell me, let's not haggle over a couple of million here and there and let's get a deal done', and I was there for hours waiting and ended up getting it done.' Ferdinand has been impressed by Gyokeres' sensational record for Sporting Lisbon but still doubts he would transform Manchester United. More Trending 'Is he the right guy? Listen, he has some really good attributes. I've not seen enough of him to be totally convinced,' the six-time Premier League winner added. 'The games I have seen him in, in the Champions League against players that match him up physically, I'd love to see a bit more. 'But there's no denying that he knows where the goal is. He's playing in Portugal where he's been banging in and setting up goals left, right and centre the last couple of years. 'I just think for Manchester United, at this moment in time, I would go for experience more than anything.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Arsenal reject approach for £42m star but sanction another transfer exit MORE: Arsenal told to sign Manchester United transfer target instead of Chelsea flop MORE: Chelsea make £30m transfer bid for former Real Madrid defender
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tottenham weigh up approach for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite despite David Moyes being keen to keep £70m-rated stalwart
Tottenham are weighing up an approach for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Their interest, which could be formalised as soon as this week, comes despite the Toffees telling suitors that Branthwaite is not for sale this summer. Chelsea have been pondering over a swoop and Spurs were expected to test the waters, but David Moyes wants the in-demand England international to stay. Manchester United saw offers worth around £50million rejected last year while Liverpool and Manchester City have also kept a close eye on the centre back. Moyes is mindful of how important Branthwaite has become as part of a stubborn backline alongside James Tarkowski, Jake O'Brien and Jordan Pickford. Indeed, he wants to keep the core of his defence together when Everton make the transition from Goodison Park to their new stadium at Bramley Moore. But Branthwaite is said to be keen to make the step up to the Champions League and Spurs can offer it after beating United in the Europa League final last month. Everton, who have the shadow of Profit and Sustainability Rules looming over them, are realistic and could consider substantial bids in the region of £70million. However, Moyes is hopeful that new owners the Friedkin Group can resist any big-money approaches for the 22-year-old - if only for this summer. Branthwaite made 32 appearances in all competitions last season despite being ruled out for the opening months of the campaign after undergoing groin surgery. Spurs are now managed by Thomas Frank and on Sunday, they confirmed the permanent signing of young forward Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Everton are among the clubs showing interest in Lyon left back Nicolas Tagliafico, who is out of contract this month.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
PSG thrash Atletico Madrid 4-0 to kick off Club World Cup campaign
LOS ANGELES, June 15 (Reuters) - Champions League winners Paris St Germain crushed fellow European heavyweights Atletico Madrid 4-0 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday to get their Club World Cup campaign off to a winning start. PSG landed the first blow in the Group B clash when Fabian Ruiz fired home from distance in the 19th minute as they showed no signs of rust in their first match since trouncing Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first Champions League title last month. PSG doubled their advantage just before halftime when an Antoine Griezmann miss led to a counter-attack that ended with Vitinha firing home under sunny skies in Southern California. The LaLiga side appeared to have pulled one back when Julian Alvarez found the net in the 57th minute but it was overturned after a VAR review determined Koke had fouled Desire Doue in the leadup to the strike, with Atletico coach Diego Simeone sarcastically applauding the decision from the sideline. The Spanish side's nightmare continued when defender Clement Lenglet was sent off after receiving a second yellow card and Alexander Sorloth inexplicably missed what should have been a tap-in, instead sending it over the bar. Substitute Senny Mayulu added a third goal for PSG in the 87th minute to end any hopes of an Atletico comeback, while Lee Kang-in fired home a stoppage-time penalty to round off the scoring. PSG will be back at the Rose Bowl on Thursday to face Brazilian team Botafogo while Atletico will travel north to Seattle to take on MLS side the Seattle Sounders. "The hardest thing to do in football is to maintain the level, not just going high and low," Vitinha, who was named man of the match, said. "That's what I tried to do. Very good performance by the team and a very good start to this competition." PSG were without Frenchman and Ballon d'Or favourite Ousmane Dembele, who suffered an injury while playing for France in the UEFA Nations League earlier this month, but they hardly needed him on Sunday. They had 74% possession and 11 shots on target compared to Atletico Madrid's one. The historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena was rocking thanks to the 80,000 fans who turned out amid the hot midday sun one year before the U.S. will co-host the World Cup along with Mexico and Canada. "It was a different environment but it feels good to see so many people in the USA here to watch soccer, or to watch football, as I say," Vitinha added.
