(FIFA.com) Friday 4 September 2015
© AFP
When Robert Lewandowski scores, football fans in Germany are usually the ones that get emotional. If they support Bayern Munich, they celebrate. If not, they most likely tend to lament. On Friday evening, however, Poland's world-class striker will only inspire fear in everyone supporting the reigning world champions.
All eyes will indeed be on the Bayern star when Joachim Low's side seek revenge in Group D of the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifiers. It was Poland, after all, who were responsible for the FIFA World Cup™ winners' painful and surprising 2-0 defeat 11 months ago in Warsaw. And Lewandowski is set on inflicting yet more suffering.
“By playing with courage in Frankfurt, we can make a difference”, he told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview. “Playing the current world champions certainly triggers extra excitement. That was the case last year in Warsaw, and it will be the same this time in Frankfurt. But this will be a more difficult match than our first meeting.
“First of all, we’re playing away from home, and the German team will want to return the favour for last year's defeat. Coming into this match, we must remember to have respect for the world champions, but on the other hand not to be afraid of them. We both need the points.”
Poland lead Group D with 14 points, though Germany lie only one behind their neighbours to the east. And with the Germans struggling to establish a consistent identity since captain Philipp Lahm and Miroslav Klose retired after that magic evening at the Maracana last July, the pressure is clearly on the hosts.
Lewandowski, for his part, sees no reason why they cannot be humbled again. “Can we beat them a second time? We've proved that already in the past year. Before that game, very few people thought we were capable of beating the world champions. So why should we not repeat such a result?
“Of course we respect our opponent, we appreciate their value and we know how tough this game will be. History shows we have only managed to win once against them - our victory last year. A very difficult meeting and demanding battle awaits us, but we are going to do everything we can in order to once again enjoy a victory.”
“Of course we respect our opponent, we appreciate their value and we know how tough this game will be. History shows we have only managed to win once against them - our victory last year. A very difficult meeting and demanding battle awaits us, but we are going to do everything we can in order to once again enjoy a victory.”
Bayern bragging rights
As Lewandowski explains, he has an added source of motivation ahead of this crunch encounter, with plenty of his club team-mates on the opposing side. “We are playing for our country and this is of course the most important thing," he said. "But it is always nice to enter Bayern’s dressing room with your head held high and three points in your pocket. I enjoyed that last year and I wouldn’t mind repeating this situation for a second time.”
Since 2010, Lewandowski has been creating danger in his opponents' 18-yard box across Germany, and he is still hungry for more. Poland's Footballer of the Year of the last four seasons (2011–2014), the striker took home Bundesliga Golden Boot honours in 2014 in his last season with Borussia Dortmund before moving on to Bayern. Now he will be aiming to shine in Frankfurt against Germany's likely centre-halves: former team-mate Mats Hummels and his current colleague Jerome Boateng.
Lewandowski also knows only too well that the significance of the occasion extends beyond banter with his Bayern team-mates, just as last year's victory did. “That win was a strong foundation for the construction of the current team," he said. "And we are a stronger team today than when we beatGermany last year.
As Lewandowski explains, he has an added source of motivation ahead of this crunch encounter, with plenty of his club team-mates on the opposing side. “We are playing for our country and this is of course the most important thing," he said. "But it is always nice to enter Bayern’s dressing room with your head held high and three points in your pocket. I enjoyed that last year and I wouldn’t mind repeating this situation for a second time.”
Since 2010, Lewandowski has been creating danger in his opponents' 18-yard box across Germany, and he is still hungry for more. Poland's Footballer of the Year of the last four seasons (2011–2014), the striker took home Bundesliga Golden Boot honours in 2014 in his last season with Borussia Dortmund before moving on to Bayern. Now he will be aiming to shine in Frankfurt against Germany's likely centre-halves: former team-mate Mats Hummels and his current colleague Jerome Boateng.
Lewandowski also knows only too well that the significance of the occasion extends beyond banter with his Bayern team-mates, just as last year's victory did. “That win was a strong foundation for the construction of the current team," he said. "And we are a stronger team today than when we beatGermany last year.
“We are more confident. We have players who are recognisable in Europe and I think the whole continent is slowly starting to talk about our team. We believe in ourselves and we are hungry for success. We want to go to France.”
No comments:
Post a Comment