Kompany and Laimer: ‘Bayern in a difficult situation, but need to believe we can beat Inter’ | OneFootball

Vincent Kompany admitted that Bayern Munich are facing a ‘difficult situation’ ahead of their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Inter, but insisted that the long list of injured players ‘won’t change’ the team’s objective or his ‘ideas’.

The Bundesliga giants will host the Nerazzurri without several key first-team players, after a wave of injuries in recent weeks — with Jamal Musiala joining Manuel Neuer, Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies, Aleksandar Pavlovic, and Hiroki Ito on the sidelines.

AUGSBURG, GERMANY – APRIL 04: Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich goes down with an injury during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Bayern München at WWK-Arena on April 04, 2025 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

Nevertheless, the Belgian manager is confident that the players stepping in have the quality to trouble a ‘well-organised’ Inter side.

Kompany: Bayern injuries ‘won’t change our goal’

“We’re in a difficult situation,” Kompany said at a pre-match press conference attended by Football Italia.

“We’re still competing on all fronts, but we have to look ahead if we want to do well. We need to believe that the players who step onto the pitch tomorrow will deliver a great performance to get the result we want.

“Let’s not forget that these players have always trained well and given their contribution, so we have full confidence in them.

“Injuries won’t change our goal or the ideas I have — I just want to focus on helping the team deliver the best performance possible.

BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 15: Vincent Kompany, head coach of Bayern Muenchen looks on prior to the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Union Berlin and FC Bayern München at Stadion An der Alten Foersterei on March 15, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

“Everyone has contributed up to this point. We have to believe — talent alone is not enough. Complaining about our situation is not my style. Whoever plays, I’ll have full confidence in any player.

“I don’t want to give you details because we’ve already played a few matches without Musiala. If you look back, you’ll see the solutions we’ve used to replace him. It’s just a matter of understanding what we’ll need for tomorrow’s match.”

“In terms of experience, of course Muller’s could be important in games like this. But experience isn’t lacking — not for us, and not for Inter either.

“Inter are a well-organised team that can be dangerous in many moments — not just on the counterattack, but also from set pieces. They have great players. But the same goes for us, and hopefully we’ll show that on the pitch tomorrow.

“To score goals, you need belief. You need to create, to make yourself visible on the pitch and be a protagonist. Scoring a lot against a team like Leverkusen, for example, isn’t something that happens often.”

Laimer: Inter ‘one of the strongest’ sides Bayern have faced this season

Speaking before his coach, Konrad Laimer also admitted it will be ‘difficult’ for the Bavarian side to make many changes to their usual starting XI against ‘one of the strongest’ opponents they’ve faced. However, the Austria international insisted that ‘teamwork’ could still help them come out on top.

“It’s difficult to change many players, but as a team, we want to win this match,” Laimer said.

“Yes, they’ll be among the strongest we’ve faced. They defend very well, they’re good at building up play, but we know we can hurt them and be dangerous.

MUNICH, GERMANY – APRIL 07: Konrad Laimer of Bayern Munich talks during a press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League 2024/25 quarter final first leg match at Saebener Strasse training ground on April 07, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

“These are the Champions League quarter-finals, and if you want to reach the semi-finals, you’re only going to face top teams.

“We want to do well at home, and we have enough options to perform well on the pitch.

“As I’ve said before, we’re missing some very important players. It will be difficult to replace them, but everyone has their role.

“We know how we want to defend, and it can’t be done alone — it will require teamwork, defending well and together, not just the defenders but every player.

“We don’t want to give Inter any chances, and I’m sure the four players who’ll be on the pitch tomorrow will help us. We definitely need a top performance — we have to work as a group and support each other to win matches like this.”