FC Bayern enters its Bundesliga matchup against FC Schalke 04 as the clear favorite. Vincent Kompany, however, knows full well that his team will be challenged from the start in this matchup against the newly promoted side. The Bayern coach warns, in particular, against underestimating their status as favorites.
For Kompany, the match at Schalke is also a trip down memory lane. The Belgian knows the stadium from his playing days and has played there with both Manchester City and Hamburger SV. Accordingly, the 40-year-old is well aware of the special atmosphere that awaits his team on Saturday.
“I’ve played there with City and HSV. It’s an arena that we—and I—know well. The club also gets support from Belgium,” Kompany explained at the press conference.
Despite being the favorites, the Bayern coach doesn’t want his players to take the match for granted before kickoff. Good performances in past games are no guarantee that things will go smoothly at Schalke.
„We’re the favorites, but we can’t take that for granted. It always starts from scratch. You can’t automatically carry over a good performance against Osnabrück and Stuttgart,“ Kompany emphasized.
Above all, the opponent’s motivation could be the deciding factor. Schalke is back in the Bundesliga after three years in the second division and wants to put on a strong showing in front of its home crowd.
„They can’t be any hungrier than we are. Their anticipation after three years is huge,“ Kompany warned his team.
„It’s always difficult“
At the same time, the Bayern coach expressed great respect for Schalke’s progress. The fact that the club only secured promotion this summer is of secondary importance to Kompany.
„The step from the first division to the second division is—I believe—more manageable in Germany than in England, where the difference is much greater, especially financially. When I look at Schalke, you wouldn’t think they’re a newly promoted team. They look solid,“ Kompany explained.
Although Schalke had a difficult match in their 0-3 loss to FC Augsburg to kick off the Bundesliga season, Kompany still sees a lot of potential in their upcoming opponent: “They also had a good preseason. I don’t think they’ll run into that many problems this season. We’re playing against a Bundesliga team, and it’s always difficult.”
For Vincent Kompany, one thing is clear: Despite being the favorites, his team must show the right attitude from the very first minute. The Belgian wants to prevent Schalke from displaying more passion and hunger on the field in front of their home crowd than his own team does.