Football: ‘Bayern failure could harm Euro hopes’

BERLIN: Germany boss Joachim Loew has expressed his concern about the impact that a defeat for Bayern Munich in Saturday’s Champions League final against Chelsea could have on his players at this summer’s European Championships. Loew has included eight members from the Bavarian giants – Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng, Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez – in his provisional squad for Euro 2012. He conceded that ‘after the failures in the league and German Cup, a defeat in the Champions League at their own stadium would be a tough blow’. “The disappointment would be huge and I think I would give them two or three additional days of rest to clear their heads and digest the situation,” Loew added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2012.