Pere Romeu: “No Fear of Bayern Munich, We’re Going to Compete Like Animals”
Barcelona coach Pere Romeu has stated that his team feels no fear against Bayern Munich and are ready to “compete like animals” at the start of their Champions League campaign. The match against the German team is shaping up to be one of the most outstanding matches of the first day, marking the debut of the tournament under the new Swiss league format, similar to the men’s tournament. In the pre-match press conference, Romeu highlighted the quality of the opponent:Romeu emphasized the team’s preparation, stating that, despite Bayern’s quality, Barcelona is prepared to give it their all. The focus at Barcelona has been on cost reduction during the summer, with several players leaving the team, including Fridolina Rolfö, Ingrid Syrstad Engen, and Jana Fernández. The only addition was Laia Aleixandri. This situation has provided opportunities for young talents like Sydney Schertenleib, Clara Serrajordi, and Aïcha Cámara, who have had more playing time. Romeu is confident that Barcelona, which has reached the last five finals, will once again have an outstanding performance.“We are facing a top-level team. They were good last season. We played against them a few years ago and you can see that they are a team full of great players. They attack and move well. Stanway positions herself near the central defenders and ends up near the area. Bühl is dangerous on the wing with a good cross”.
Pere Romeu
“We still have a good team, top-level players and the coaching staff to go all the way. This team will continue to fight match after match in every competition. We have an excellent squad. The players who have come up [from the youth team] are very good. I don’t know if we would find such good players on the market”.
Pere Romeu
As part of the new Swiss model, the competition has expanded to 18 clubs, with each team playing six unique matches: two against teams from pot one, two from pot two, and two from pot three. At the end of the league phase, the top four teams will advance directly to the quarter-finals, while the teams finishing between fourth and 12th place will enter a knockout round. Barcelona, which has won all six Liga F matches this season, starts the competition as one of the favorites, along with OL Lyonnes, Chelsea, and Arsenal (defending champion), but there is an expectation that other teams from England, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy can close the gap this year.“It’s a new season and a new format, which motivates us. You don’t forget Lisbon, it hurt, of course. It was a really damaging defeat, but we will use it to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We are hungry to start with a victory. We are looking forward to it. It’s a format that demands that you give your best from the start.”
Irene Paredes
