Bayern hoping for 'a miracle' against Man City
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel insisted Tuesday that his side need "a miracle" to overturn a three-goal deficit against Manchester City and reach the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.
"It will be a miracle if we pull it off, but we can't just talk a miracle into existence," said Tuchel.
Bayern were thrashed 3-0 by City in the first leg of their quarter-final tie in Manchester last week, and are now facing what seems to be mission impossible ahead of the return fixture in Munich.
On Tuesday, defender Benjamin Pavard pointed to the unlikely Champions League comebacks made by Liverpool in 2019 and Barcelona in 2017 as proof that Bayern still had a chance of reaching the last four.
"We've seen the remontadas (comebacks) there have been in the past. We are ready, the crowd will be important and we are going to do everything to win this match," said the French international.
Tuchel, meanwhile, urged his side to be realistic and to take on the challenge "step by step".
"Our first priority is to win the first half. If we can win both halves and we get the luck which we didn't get in the first leg, then everything is possible," said the Bayern coach.
"It's a difficult task and we shouldn't make it more difficult by looking only at the top of the mountain. We need to bring the crowd with us so they can create the kind of energy which you get in games where special things happen," he added, and encouraged his players to get the fans onside.
The Bayern boss, whose side also slumped to a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to relegation candidates Hoffenheim on Saturday, admitted his players were not in their best form: "We've looked a bit cramped and lacking confidence recently, but in football things can change very quickly," he said.