Published : 11 Mar 2025, 07:09 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 12:42 PM
Bayern Munich plan to set the pace in their Champions League Round of 16 second leg at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, coach Vincent Kompany said on Monday, with his team carrying a 3-0 lead into the match.
Kompany said the Bavarians would play to win and would not go into the game thinking about their 3-0 victory in Munich last week over their German rivals.
"You cannot go into the game like that. When you start a game the main priority is always to win," Kompany told a press conference.
"We still have to deliver our best performance to win it. It is a very important game tomorrow."
Bayern, who saw Leverkusen win the domestic league and Cup double last season, are leading the Bundesliga title race but suffered a shock 3-2 home loss to strugglers VfL Bochum on Saturday despite a 2-0 lead.
This will be the fifth game between Bayern and Leverkusen this season, having also met in the Bundesliga twice, as well as in the German Cup.
Kompany said while his players were frustrated after their loss to Bochum, the importance of the Leverkusen return leg meant they had to quickly put it behind them.
Bayern were not planning to just sit back and soak up Leverkusen pressure, relying on their first leg advantage.
"It is not only about Leverkusen's first goal but also about Bayern's first goal as well," Kompany said.
"In the end it will be the quality of players who will decide the game but if you only think about what the other team needs then that could end up happening.
"You can never know the future. We have to prepare for what we can and believe in what we can do," Kompany, in his first season in charge, said.
