BERLIN (Reuters) – Bayern Munich will be without a handful of injured players against Heidenheim on Saturday but the team need to bounce back from last week’s league loss to Borussia Dortmund if they are to be ready for the Champions League, coach Thomas Tuchel said.
Bayern, winners of the previous 11 consecutive league titles, are in second place in the Bundesliga, 13 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with seven games remaining.
They also face Arsenal next week in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Tuchel, who last week congratulated Leverkusen even though they have not yet secured it mathematically, will be leaving at the end of the season.
“Our motivation should not depend on where we are in the standings. We are frustrated by the result last week (2-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund). So we should have sufficient anger to provide a response on Saturday,” Tuchel told a press conference on Friday.
“We cannot drop even one percent in our conviction and in our attitude. We are extremely dissatisfied with the situation.”
Bayern will be without several key players, including wingers Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane as well as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic.
“The problem is none of them is being rested ahead of Tuesday (against Arsenal). They all are not in the squad against Heidenheim because they just cannot play,” Tuchel said.
“The injury situation is too crazy. I have had some ideas about how to play against Arsenal but players are constantly missing with injuries. Starting with Manuel and ending with our wingers.”
Tuchel is hoping a run to the Champions League final would help forget his team’s domestic woes this season and help him leave on a high.
“Even if the title looks gone, the (German) Cup is gone, we still have one competition we are in and if we want our dream to come true we have to work hard every day,” he said.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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