Bayern Munich are flying. A quick glance at the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga table backs that up: they’ve won every game so far this season and have accumulated a goal difference of +15 after just three games.
On Wednesday, they’ll face their toughest test yet. Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal will descend on the FC Bayern Campus, and Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir labelled the Gunners as “a very good team that we’ve got a lot of respect for.”
What did Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir say?
“I think the mood is good,” the Bayern captain suggested. “We’re excited for the upcoming games, it’s a lot of big games and important games. We try to keep the mood high and light in training when we can, then we’re focused on the important parts of training and we’re excited for the upcoming games.”
“Of course you always want to start with a win and getting the points as quickly as possible but for us it’s about the performance. We want to go out and play a good game at home in front of our fans and show that we’ve come further than we were last year in the Champions League,” she added, making reference to their Group Stage exit from the competition.
“I think it’s the trophy that every player wants to win so from the start of the group stage, it’s important games. You get to test yourself against the best and see where you stand as a team, that’s the best thing about the Champions League.”
Embed from Getty ImagesFacing Arsenal, then, is perhaps the perfect way to return to the competition and make a statement against another side that also suffered an embarrassing early exit from the tournament last season. Viggósdóttir piled on the praise for the visitors, noting that “they’re very comfortable on the ball, they want to have the ball and I think that’s one of their biggest strengths.”
“It’s going to be an interesting game between two teams that both want to have the ball so it’ll be about who does it better, I think.”
“Tomorrow we’re playing a very good team that we’ve got a lot of respect for. We’re going to need to play our best game if we’re going to win. We’ve prepared well and for now that’s our only focus.”
Defensively, Viggósdóttir is expecting a busy night against a side brimming with attacking talent. Asked to identify the most threatening player in Arsenal’s front line, the decision was simple.
“I think Stina is a fantastic forward who works incredibly hard for her team to open up space,” revealed the Icelandic international, before adding: “I think also Mariona is a world-class player, the way she plays football is beautiful to watch.”
Bayern Munich get their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign underway at 17:45 BST on Wednesday, 9 October 2024. The match will be shown live in the United Kingdom by DAZN, with extensive coverage also available on FromTheSpot.