Kompany: Leipzig is undoubtedly one of the favorites to win the championship, Neuer won t play forward

August 21st At 2:30 am on August 23, in the first round of the 2025-26 Bundesliga, Bayern will play against Leipzig at home. Before the game, Bayern coach Kompany attended the press conference and talked about some of the current situation of the team.

Regarding the team's injury situation

- There are no major changes at present, and players may be able to play against Stuttgart. As far as preseason is concerned, we are going another week ahead and the team has taken another step, hoping to have a great performance tomorrow.

About pre-season preparation

--It is normal for you to experience some cramps when your preseason time is relatively short. It is a final against a strong team. But we are mentally prepared, which is important, we are full of hunger. It's about getting better and we're very motivated.

About the goals of this season

- You can't say at the beginning of the season that we are lower than last year, we always want to improve our goals a little bit, and always do so. We are champions, so it's okay to be a favorite, but that won't make you win tomorrow's game. It is important that we have a desire, just like we first desire to win something.

About Leipzig

-Their lineup is now more flexible. They have changed to a new coach and their tactical system has been greatly adjusted. They have introduced some talented players and have an excellent lineup. Last season, things didn't go well for them. Leipzig is undoubtedly one of the favorites to win, we have to take the game very seriously, they have different wingers who can bring in one-on-one, and a No. 10 position like Xavi Simmons. Their offensive firepower is strong, but we are at Allianz Stadium and we want to give a great game to the fans.

About how you make players progress

—What matters is how eager the players are to improve. As a coach, the greatest happiness is to see players desire improvement, not for me, but for themselves. You need to connect with the players, it’s important that they have passion, and I had that passion at the time.

About Pavlovic

- He trained well, of course, he hasn't played yet, but I think he'll be back soon.

How satisfied are you with the team's current situation?

- The most important game so far is the one against Stuttgart. We took a step in the right direction in that game, and we need to win tomorrow's game so that we can say we have a good start. Of course, the preparations now may not be at their best, but we must be mentally prepared. So far, we have shown our determination to be fully prepared for the fight, and we also hope to draw strength from this stage.

Regarding the hardest competitors

- I won't talk about this, it's important that we play to our own level and win the game.

Regarding lineup matching

—In terms of front line, we have four experienced players and two talented players. We also have Guerrero and Bischoff, and they can also appear on the offensive line. Neuer won't play forward (laughs). We all want to attack anyway. We have a lot of relevant personnel responsible for transfers, and my job is to make sure the team wins tomorrow.