Vincent Kompany is hopeful Bayern Munich can somehow navigate through a top-eight finish when they are confronted with Slovan Bratislava in their latest Champions League First Phase match.
Bayern is 15th in the rankings after seven games, a point under the eighth placed Bayer Leverkusen, and are guaranteed a place in the last 16 while they are preparing for a Bratislava side that has lost all their matches in the competition.
A top-night finish ensures direct qualification for the last 16.
“I tried to work it out and lost on Sunday. I have a rough idea of everything that needs to be done. In the end we have to concentrate on our match,” Kompany said reporters on Tuesday.
Kompany said that the qualifications scenario can come down on last-minute goals, because 18 games start at the same time on the last match day of the competition phase, with target difference that may play a role in determining the end positions.
“It is only a problem very late in the game. If you need a goal at the end, you might have to take more risks,” he added.
“In the last minutes it is of course important to know where you stand and what is needed to still achieve something.”
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Kompany said he could see the entertainment value in the new Champions League format, but the path through the competition phase was not the same for all teams.
“It has a direct impact on your competitiveness. It's not criticism, it's just something I think it will be worth thinking after the competition,” he said.
Bayern and Slovan Bratislava meet each other for the first time in a competitive fixture; The Germans were last confronted with a Slovak opponent in the European competition in the UEFA Cup 1988-89 and defeated DAC 1904 Dunajska Streda with 5-1 in a round of 32 draw.
And former Belgian defender Kompany said that his team will not take their opponents light despite their bad record in the competition.
“Whatever we come, we will face it frontally. The opposition also has objectives for this competition. We respect them,” he said.
“We are at home, it's a special place for us, everything is possible here. I don't want to add extra drama, but that's how we feel.”
Bayern is unbeaten in their last 33 home games in the Champions League group phase-the joint-long run in the history of the competition, level with Barcelona between November 2009 and November 2020.
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