FC Bayern is currently in South Korea as part of the Audi Summer Tour. In addition to numerous marketing events, the trip is primarily intended to help the team fine-tune its preparations for the new season. Captain Manuel Neuer has now made it clear that the team’s athletic preparation is clearly the top priority.
Following their training camp at Lake Tegernsee, the Munich team will play their next preseason friendlies in Asia. Their opponents will be Jeju SK in South Korea and Europa League champion Aston Villa in Hong Kong. These matches are particularly important for the national team players, who only recently returned to team training following the World Cup.
“We’re not just doing this tour for the fans.”
In an interview with South Korean media, Manuel Neuer spoke about the significance of the trip and made it clear that Bayern by no means views the tour solely as a PR stunt.
“Wherever we train and play, wherever fans are present, we’ll reach out to them and be happy to sign autographs. We want to put our best foot forward. But as much as we appreciate it, we’re not doing the Summer Tour just for the fans,” explained the Bayern captain.
Rather, the goal is to lay the groundwork for a successful season. “We’re also doing it for ourselves, because we’re in the middle of our preseason preparations. We have important games against Jeju and later against Aston Villa in Hong Kong. We’ll approach them with 100 percent commitment and discipline,” emphasized the 40-year-old.
Focus on the Start of the Season
For FC Bayern, the decisive phase of preseason training is now beginning. After returning from Asia, there are only a few weeks left until the first competitive match of the new season.
On August 22, Vincent Kompany’s team will face Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup. A week later, the record champions will kick off the new Bundesliga season with a home game against VfB Stuttgart.
By then, the stars who are currently absent are expected to be fully integrated back into the squad. Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Dayot Upamecano are still on extended World Cup leave, while Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry, Lennart Karl, and Ismael Saibari are completing their individual fitness programs in Munich.
For Neuer, the new season will be a special one. The goalkeeper recently hinted that this could be his final season as a professional. This makes his determination to prepare FC Bayern as best as possible for a successful season all the greater.