Bayern Munich’s Portuguese midfielder João Palhinha is intimately familiar with Benfica and its playstyle ahead of the Champions League showdown between the clubs.
“We’re approaching tomorrow’s game like a final. We lost against Aston Villa and Barcelona so we now want to win against Benfica. We’re playing at home, which is an important factor for us. We know that Benfica are in good form, but we’ll try to win,” said Palhinha (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I watched a few of Benfica’s games. As a Portuguese, I watch them. They have a lot of good individual players. They have gotten better with the change of coach and are in a good moment. But we’re also in a good moment. We’re focused on ourselves and want to win.”
Palhinha will play a vital role Bayern Munich in this match. With his experience in Portugal and knowledge of Benfica, the midfielder should be poised to have a good showing.
“I try to stop counterattacks and give the team the right balance. For me, it’s an advantage to play such a pressing style. There are risks, but we’ve improved. Against Aston Villa we dominated large parts of the game,” said Palhinha. “Against Barça it was 50/50. We were also in control when we lost points against Frankfurt and Leverkusen. When you lose, people talk about tactical things. But just because we lost to Aston Villa and Barcelona doesn’t mean everything is bad in my opinion.
“When you play for such a big club, the pressure comes automatically. We fight in every game, we want to win every game – that’s why FC Bayern is such a big club. I’m in the right place and I’m proud to be here. We will fight to win as many titles as possible.”
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