MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) – Bayern Munich will look to get their Champions League season back on track with victory over visitors Benfica on Wednesday, and the new competition format plays no role in the team’s planning, coach Vincent Kompany said on Tuesday.
The Bavarians lead the Bundesliga title race but have lost two of their three Champions League matches so far and are currently ranked 23rd in the competition.
They kicked off their European season with a 9-2 demolition of Dinamo Zagreb before losing to Aston Villa and Barcelona.
“I don’t want to think too far ahead because we have enough games,” Kompany, in his first season in charge, told a press conference. “We have to win against Benfica. I don’t want to spend too much time thinking what could happen in January.
“No one knows how it will work. We only know we want to win tomorrow. We play at home. That is my only goal,” he said.
The European top-flight has switched from a group stage to a league phase this season where 36 teams play eight matches each, with the top eight in the table progressing directly to the next round, while the next 16 teams enter a two-legged playoff.
This means even if Bayern do not finish in the top eight they can still qualify for the knockout stage via the playoffs.
“We have a lot of confidence going into this game. We will always adapt and take the steps that are right for the team. But to say we will change everything is not serious. We just want to win again at home,” Kompany said.
For their part, Benfica have won two of their three Champions League matches.
“What we know is you have to win around six (of eight) games to reach the top eight. You have to win three games and that should be enough for the playoffs. My goal is to reach the top eight”, Kompany said.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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