Interest in Saturday’s all German Champions League Final is global but in one corner of the Pacific Northwest that interest is personal.
Sigi points to a Bayern win but assistant coach Brian Schmetzer believes one piece of quality might decide the final
Our Seattle reporter Stephanie Beck, herself from Germany, took the time out from talking Sounders FC at training recently to ask the German born head coach Sigi Schmid, Austrian goalkeeper Mike Gspurning and the club’s assistant coach third generation German immigrant Brian Schmetzer for their view on the big game.
SIGI SCHMID:
Q. Sigi who do you think will win the Champions League? Borussia Dortmund or Bayern München and why?
Sigi Schmid: “Bayern München. They are the strongest team in Europe right now if not the whole world. They play very good soccer right now. Their ball control is fantastic and they are very dangerous at the moment. Robben and Ribéry are playing very well.
They also have different options upfront with Mandžukić and Gomez when he comes off of the bench. The outside defenders like Phillip Lahm and Alaba come up front. The team has a lot of self-confidence right now. They believe in themselves and they believe they can win this. They have either won or tied the last games at Dortmund with reserve players. So the team has a lot of self-confidence.”
MIKE GSPURNING:
Q. Who do you think will win the Champions League? Borussia Dortmund or Bayern München?
“Hmm …. Bayern. I will go with Bayern. It’s just a single game and Bayern has beaten Dortmund so many times this season. Bayern is something special this season. And although it is 90 minutes, it doesn’t look like they will give Dortmund a chance. So I will go with Bayern but it’s a tough one.”
BRIAN SCHMETZER:
“I haven’t really thought about it too much yet. You are putting me under a lot of pressure (laughing).
Bayern is scoring goals left and right. I mean the quality of the team they put out is as good is any of the world. So yeah I would think they would be the favored on a mutual ground but I still think it’s a coin flip. Which ever team can have that one little piece of quality because both teams are going to go.
It’s the finals. Outside of the World Cup it’s the biggest game. There’s so many good storylines to this.
Bayern has something to prove because of the loss last year. Dortmund has a score to settle because of the league title.
I’m sticking with “Who ever has that one little piece of quality”. The defending is good. The teams are equal. Maybe on paper Bayern has a bigger payroll but the teams are as equal on the field as they can be. I believe it’s up for grabs.”
More Champions League:
Six-Shooting the UCL Final: Westphalia or Bavaria?
CL Preview — 10 Reasons Why German Football is Succeeding
What exactly is a Borussia anyway?
Sounders FC’s Germans and Austrians Preview the Final
Hubert’s Hub – The Germans have Added Flair to Pragmatism
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