Tuchel: “Real Madrid are a European great, and so are we”

Thomas Tuchel and Manuel Neuer spoke to the press on the eve of the clash between Real Madrid and Bayern München at the Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League semi-final second leg (Wednesday, 9:00pm CEST). The coach reflected: "The game will go in waves. Both sides will have to defend and attack in spells. We are both capable of keeping the ball for long periods and it's not easy to win it back from Real Madrid. We'll do our best to have it all the time. We're both good in swift transitions, it will be a complex game. We need to show conviction and precision."
"We have to play the game, not only consider the opportunity. When we talk about the players, we're not talking about the mythical status, it's more about the content of the game. Nothing is impossible, we were fantastic in the first leg, we were the better team but we failed to win it. Perhaps it's 51% in their favour here. I remember a time before the internet, I used to flick through World Cup annals and Butragueño was always in them. Now, whenever I come back here, those images come back to me. Madrid are a European great, and so are we. It's a privilege but it's an obligation as well. We're not here in the semi-final to enjoy it, we're coming to make the final."
Changes from the first leg
"The pace will be key, there will be phases, I don't think we'll see one team dominate throughout. There will be phases in the game. We'll need to use them to recover and to hurt the opposition when they have the ball. But we have to be alert to Real Madrid's transitions too. Theory is one thing, applying it out on the pitch is another. We have to support the players and put them in the best possible position, not only the starting XI but the guys who come off the bench as well. We have to have faith, faith in the details. Madrid are playing at home, we might see them being more attacking. Offensively, we're even, and the winner books their place at Wembley. That's it."
How to stop Vini Jr.?
"It's difficult, many have tried and failed. You can't cut out all the passes, Kroos, Valverde... they can come from anywhere. Vini Jr. can pick up the long balls, he can take you on, pop up in the box. Can we do better than we did in the first leg? Yes, and we'll try to do so. It's important to accept that not everything we do will be perfect. We have to show the right mentality."
Neuer: “We're up against an incredible team”
“From an emotional point of view, we're up against an incredible team. But we have to focus on being ourselves and have confidence in what we do and in our teammates. We have to help each other. We can't afford to go flat or get nervous. We have to turn the pressure into something positive. That's what we'll try and do tomorrow, if we manage, we'll have a chance of making the final."
Bellingham
“He's really burst onto the scene here. He's playing higher up than he did at Dortmund, but nobody expected him to get so many goals. We didn't think we'd see a player who got that many after Karim Benzema left. All the Bayern players know Jude from his time at Dortmund and we know he can make the difference."
The Santiago Bernabéu
“The stadium is important. With the screens all around the edge... It's something special, historic. There's no other stadium in the world, or in Europe, for a player. We're delighted to be playing here."