In the second round of the Champions League, YB will face the opponent with the biggest name. Against Barcelona, coach Patrick Rahmen is relying on a reshuffle in the goalkeeping position.
30.09.2024, 16:31
01.10.2024, 16:32
SDA
With his two appearances against Galatasaray, Marvin Keller made a significant contribution to YB's successful qualification for the Champions League. Now the 22-year-old will be rewarded with a starting appearance against one of the best teams in the world. Coach Patrick Rahmen confirmed at the press conference on the eve of the match that Keller will play against the great Barça and that nominal number one David von Ballmoos will be given a break.
Keller is expected to make top stars such as Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha desperate with his saves in the Olympic Stadium. No easy task given the 25 goals Barcelona have scored in their eight league games so far this season. YB have only scored eleven goals in the same number of league games.
Barcelona under pressure in the Champions League
But the Champions League also offers the opportunity to put the difficult phase in the championship behind them. In addition, YB play with significantly less pressure in this competition and can take on the role of spoilsport. "We'll try to keep the spaces tight so that the Barça players can't unleash their creativity," said Rahmen. "Of course we know that tomorrow will be a very difficult task. But every game has to be played first."
However, the chances of Barcelona being underestimated have diminished after the first round of the Champions League. The Spaniards surprisingly lost 2-1 to Monaco and cannot afford to drop points again. That is why new coach Hansi Flick even rested some of his key players against Osasuna at the weekend, and Barcelona promptly conceded their first league defeat (2:4) after seven wins in a row.
At the press conference, Flick was therefore asked whether he felt the greatest pressure of his young Barça career so far ahead of the game against YB. But the 59-year-old German didn't want to know anything about it. Pressure is normal in football, he said, and he and his players know exactly how to deal with it. However, Flick also knows that anything other than a clear victory against YB will not be accepted in Barcelona. "We have to watch out for the transition game against YB in particular," warned Flick. "They showed against Aston Villa that they play very boldly."
