Bayern Munich defender Eric Dier can feel the electricity in the air ahead of his team’s Champions League match against Arsenal FC.
“I’m really looking forward to the game. With our own fans behind us, it will definitely be a great atmosphere. That will help us a lot. Two games are never the same, it will be a different game. Both teams want to reach the semi-finals. Arsenal are a very good team, we have to defend very well again. But I’m also sure that we can cause them problems when we have the ball,” Dier told Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
One thing that Dier will not have to worry about is Arsenal fans overpowering the volume inside the Allianz Arena to boo him. Even if Gunners supporters somehow found a way to do that, it would not bother Dier anyway.
“For me, that’s something I actually enjoy. I like rivalries like that in football, it’s completely normal and I expected it. I enjoy it,” Dier remarked.
One of the big challenges in the match for Dier and his defensive mates will be slowing down Arsenal speedster Bukayo Saka.
“It’s about us defending as a team. It’s not about one person, not about 1v1. We have to show the right energy and attitude as a team and communicate well,” said Dier.
Dier loves about how things feel within the squad right now and was pleased that they built some momentum against FC Köln over the weekend.
“It was important that we won [against Köln] and maintained our momentum” Dier said.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on the massive Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal FC match in the Champions League? Then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show, which is available on Spotify or below. We’ve got a breakdown of the match-up, some thoughts on Thomas Tuchel’s potential lineup, and a prediction on the match, so check it out: