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Kompany ready for 'more risks' as Bayern eye top-eight Champions League finish
Bayern Munich need a helping hand to finish in the top eight of the Champions League, but Vincent Kompany remains hopeful.
Vincent Kompany is hopeful Bayern Munich can somehow navigate a top-eight finish when they face Slovan Bratislava in their final Champions League first phase game.
Bayern are 15th in the standings after seven matches, one point below eighth-placed Bayer Leverkusen, and are guaranteed a place in the last 16 as they prepare to face a Bratislava side who have lost all of their matches in the competition.
A top-eight finish will ensure direct qualification for the last 16.
"I've tried to work it out and lost my Sunday to it. I've got a rough idea of everything that needs to happen. At the end of the day, we have to focus on our match," Kompany told reporters on Tuesday.
Kompany said the qualification scenario may come down to last-minute goals as 18 matches kick off simultaneously on the last matchday of the league phase, with goal difference potentially playing a role in determining the final positions.
"It won't be an issue until very late in the game. If you need a goal at the end, you might have to take more risks," he added.
"In the final minutes, of course, it's important to know where you stand and what it will take to possibly still achieve something."
Kompany said he could see the entertainment value in the new Champions League format, but the path through the league stage was not the same for all teams.
"It has a direct impact on your competitiveness. It's not a criticism, it's just something that I think will be worth reflecting on after the competition," he said.
Bayern and Slovan Bratislava will meet in a competitive fixture for the first time; the Germans last faced a Slovakian opponent in European competition in the 1988-89 UEFA Cup, beating DAC 1904 Dunajska Streda 5-1 on aggregate in a round of 32 tie.
And former Belgium defender Kompany said his team will not take their opponents lightly despite their poor record in the competition.
"Whatever comes our way, we'll face it head-on. The opposition also has aims for this match. We respect them," he said.
"We're at home, it's a special place for us, anything is possible here. I don't want to add any extra drama but that's how we feel."
Bayern are unbeaten in their last 33 home games in the Champions League group stage – the joint-longest such run in the competition's history, level with Barcelona between November 2009 and November 2020.