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Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann has confirmed that six stars are out of their Champions League clash against Barcelona at Allianz Arena on Thursday. Despite that, the Bayern Munich boss said they will look to end the group stage with a perfect record and are not taking Barcelona lightly.
The Bavarians have already qualified for the next round of the elite European tournament. Although, it will be a do-or-die clash for Barcelona, who would only qualify for the round-of-16 if they secure a win at Allianz Arena on Thursday.
The Spanish giants have had a bad outing in the tournament having won only two games out of five in the group stage.
During the pre-match press briefing, Nagelsmann confirmed that he will be replacing Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry, who picked up minor injuries last week. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will also be out of the contest as he is yet to recover from Covid-19.
Speaking further on the scores of injuries to his players, Nagelsmann confirmed that Joshua Kimmich, Michael Cuisance, and Marcel Sabitzer will also miss the clash against Barcelona.
Speaking about the injury prone bench, Bayern Munich boss Nagelsmann said:
"Joshua will be tested tomorrow. But it makes no sense for tomorrow given he has been out for four weeks. I am happy not to have the pressure to advance because that was our first goal."
"We want to play a good game, score the three points. That is not good for Barcelona, of course, but we shouldn't think about that. Just play a good game and try to win."
Nagelsmann also spoke on the changes he has observed in Barcelona after they signed Xavi Hernandez as their new manager. Nagelsmann said:
"I have seen differences, yes. With Xavi they defend more aggressively. The pressure after loss is also different, very brave, very high, as in Pep's times. That on the one hand gives you space but you have the difficulty to get out of that pressure. "
Bayern Munich boss Nagelsmann assured Benfica not to ''worry'' ahead of the clash against Barcelona
Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann assured Benfica not to 'worry' as he revealed the absence of six of his players in their clash against Barcelona at home on Thursday.
Benfica's progression to the next round of the Champions League depends on their win over Dynamo Kyiv and Bayern Munich's triumph over four-time champions Barcelona.
Julian said it is not about getting Barcelona out of the tournament but about continuing to perform well as the tournament gets more competitive with every step.
Speaking on his probable squad for the much awaited clash, Julian said:
"We will play with our best team available. Greetings to Lisbon (Benfica), don't worry. Advancing with a key sixth win would be good."
