Manuel Neuer says Bayern Munich’s primary ambition in the new Champions League campaign is to win the competition, after the German club fell at the semi-final stage last season.
Bayern begin their latest European campaign on 10 September, when Vincent Kompany’s side host Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt at their home ground. The opening match of the league phase is scheduled to kick off at 22:00 Moscow time.
Neuer, Bayern’s goalkeeper, has outlined the scale of the challenge facing the club as they prepare to enter the new Champions League campaign. The 40-year-old’s stated objective is the tournament’s biggest prize: Bayern want to go all the way and lift the trophy.
The match against Bodø/Glimt will be Bayern’s first fixture in the opening round of the league phase. It will also mark the start of a fresh attempt to finish the job after last season’s run ended in the semi-finals.
Bayern reached the last four of the competition in the previous campaign but were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain, widely referred to as PSG. Their defeat brought their European challenge to an end before the final, leaving the club to start again in pursuit of the Champions League title.
The immediate task for Kompany’s team is therefore a home meeting with Bodø/Glimt. The Norwegian side will provide the opposition in the first match of the new league-phase campaign, with the contest taking place on 10 September at 22:00 Moscow time.
Neuer’s comments place the emphasis firmly on Bayern’s ambition rather than simply progressing through the early stages. The goalkeeper has made clear that the club’s main target is to win the entire competition, a goal that follows their semi-final exit to PSG last season.
For Bayern, the Champions League campaign begins under Kompany with that expectation already established. The German club will host Bodø/Glimt in the opening league-phase fixture, before aiming to improve on last season’s semi-final finish and reach the final stage of the tournament.
The home match is the first opportunity for Bayern to begin that pursuit. Their stated objective, as outlined by Neuer, is not only to compete among Europe’s leading clubs but to secure the Champions League trophy.