The Bayern stars are really pricked.

Before the always explosive German-Austrian football showdown with the young Salzburg football bulls around national striker Karim Adeyemi, the Munich team sent their premier class veteran Thomas Müller on Tuesday to cast doubt on the “Mia san mia” understanding that was feared beyond Germany’s borders to scare away.

"It's true that if we lose, self-image gets a scratch, but honor is also tickled," announced the captain.

The second part of the sentence was the decisive one.

In the Red Bull Arena, which was sold out with 29,520 spectators after the corona easing in Austria, where Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann expects a “positively aggressive atmosphere against us”, Europe is supposed to play in the round of 16 first leg on Wednesday evening (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and at DAZN) experience the highly praised and dominant Bayern of the group phase again -


and not that of the embarrassing 2: 4 in Bochum.

"We're absolutely hot for the game," said Müller: "Now the starting signal is given for a phase that is extremely important.

In the Champions League, it's against the best when it comes to the final.

You want to belong there.”


The sound of the premier class anthem should provide the last kick of tension after the sluggishness of everyday league life, in order to trump again as giants on the beloved European stage.

"We have the task of ideally continuing the group phase," said Nagelsmann.

Six wins, 22:3 goals – that was the best of any team.

Since the 2: 4 on Saturday, however, everything has been questioned again with the triple winner from 2013 and 2020. National player Joshua Kimmich criticized the mentality.

The defenders, above all former Salzburg player Dayot Upamecano and world champion Lucas Hernández, were targeted by the critics.

"We're conceding too many goals," said CEO Oliver Kahn, alarmed.

Hoeneß also spoke up

Uli Hoeneß commented critically on Monday evening as a guest on ServusTV in Salzburg's Hangar-7: "I heard that the atmosphere in the team is very good - maybe too good.

There's not enough friction!" The honorary president mused, "that means you only play 75 or 50 percent against supposedly weaker opponents."

Of course, there is currently friction.

"We don't close our eyes and say: industrial accident and let's move on," commented Müller on the blackout in Bochum.

Nagelsmann tries to stay the course in the public noise.

"I won't change my approach." The 34-year-old coach looked tense 30 hours before kick-off.

After the early DFB Cup knockout, the Champions League became the decisive evaluation criterion for him personally in his first year in Munich.

He will stick to his attacking approach.

"Most of the time we're able to score more goals than we get," he said.

However, it is expected that he will again deploy a three-man chain in defense and strengthen the defensive readiness with Corentin Tolisso as the second six next to Kimmich in midfield.

In captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Leon Goretzka, Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala, the Bayern coach is still missing four important players.

Hoeneß also sees the offensive players as having a duty when it comes to defending: “If you cover carelessly up front, you will have problems.” Lewandowski, Müller, Sané, Coman and Gnabry should also work more against the ball.

Hoeneß believes in a positive Bayern reaction: "When it came down to it and against strong opponents, they pulled themselves together incredibly and played very well."

Austria's serial champion shouldn't be a stumbling block with his young, inexperienced team around the 20-year-old Adeyemi.

Salzburg are in the round of 16 for the first time ever.

Nagelsmann expects an exciting coaching duel with Matthias Jaissle, who is a few younger, on the sidelines.

The RB coach – as a player – has a Hoffenheim past like Nagelsmann.

"Julian has a lot ahead of him, he's an absolute top trainer," said Jaissle modestly on Tuesday.

He doesn't like the comparison with Nagelsmann: "He's him, I'm me."

Müller attests Austria's young bulls "modern football, characterized by speed and a certain chaos." The focus is on Adeyemi.

The young attacker has a Bayern past as a teenager and forms the Salzburg attacking duo with the Swiss Noah Okafor (21).

With their turbo speed, they scored three goals each, putting Salzburg in second place in the Wolfsburg group.

“Of course the game means a lot to me.

I'm a boy from Munich," said Adeyemi: "It's an honor to play against Bayern, not a rivalry." In duels, he is likely to meet national defender Niklas Süle more often, with whom he could play together at Borussia Dortmund next season.

When it comes to the question of the future, however, the young national player consistently walls: "It's not clear yet.

What happens in summer happens in summer.”