Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich - Ancelotti demands Bayern response after UCL loss
Posted Friday, April 14, 2017 by PA
Carlo Ancelotti has warned Bayer Leverkusen to expect a reaction from his Bayern Munich team to their Champions League setback.
The Bundesliga leaders head to the BayArena on Saturday looking to bounce back from the 2-1 home defeat they suffered to Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final.
Victory would take Bayern another step closer to a league title that is already all-but wrapped up, and Ancelotti said he wanted his team to get over the line "sooner rather than later".
There is the small matter of the return meeting with Madrid to come at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, but first the Italian wants a response against Leverkusen.
"Tomorrow is an important game," Ancelotti, whose side head into the weekend with a 10-point lead at the top of the table, said at a press conference.
"We want to play a good game and win.
"We are of course not happy (with the loss to Madrid). But I know my players very well and am sure that we will play tomorrow with character and personality.
"I think we can produce a good reaction. Afterwards we will have time to think about the second leg against Real Madrid."
Bayern will be without striker Robert Lewandowski through suspension, but Ancelotti sounded a positive note about his fitness after he missed the Madrid game with a shoulder injury suffered in last weekend's win over Borussia Dortmund.
The Poland international completed an intensive running session with bars, mini hurdles and the ball on Friday, with the coach reporting he was "feeling good".
Jerome Boateng will miss out against Leverkusen with a minor adductor problem, while fellow defender Mats Hummels has an ankle injury, so David Alaba will move to centre-back, with Juan Bernat coming in at left-back.
Leverkusen boss Tayfun Korkut, who is without his main striker too, with Javier Hernandez still nursing a muscle injury, expects to come up against a strong Bayern side, regardless of how heavily Ancelotti rotates his squad with the trip to Madrid in mind.
"No matter who is in Bayern's starting XI, they will certainly send out a top team," he said.
Leverkusen, regulars in European competition, are enduring a miserable season and lie in 12th place, with just one win from their last nine games in all competitions. Five of those were defeats.
But Korkut insists his side's task against the league leaders need not be a fruitless one.
"We have to be stubborn, not give them any peace and steer the match and the fans onto our side," he said.
"We also have a very good squad available. I am sure - we will get our chances."
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