Harry Kane has sent a clear warning ahead of his Bayern Munich side facing Arsenal in a Champions League quarter-final second leg. The former Tottenham star gave the German champions the lead in the first leg after Serge Gnabry netted the equaliser following Bukayo Saka’s opener but the Gunners got back on level terms in the second half through Leandro Trossard.
With that in mind, everything is to play for at Allianz Arena but Thomas Tuchel believes his side hold the advantage. “I think we have the slight advantage of experience in our team,” he said in a press conference. “To make in an advantage we still have to bring out our very best. It can also sometimes be an advantage not to have it. Arsenal can have the theme to be the hunters to go for it after so many years.
“Also for us it’s not so usual for us to overcome this stage. Now the situation is here that we have one decisive match to make the next big step in this beautiful competition. We are determined to bring everything to the table. If the experience brings the extra 5% we are happy to bring it to the table.”
In terms of Champions League experience, Kane is one player with plenty of minutes in European action and a further 28 goals to his name. With that in mind, the 30-year-old has been asked about the importance of his own leadership skills.
“I think where I’m at in my career people expect a certain level from me,” he said on Tuesday. “That comes with goal and assists but also all round performance and using my leadership to help the team. I always expect a lot from myself and I want to show my best performance tomorrow night. I’ll be ready for anything that may come.”
While Kane will undoubtedly want to win the Champions League, doing so by knocking out Arsenal along the way could be even sweeter, given his Tottenham links, but the England international has played down any ill-feelings towards the Gunners.
“I think for me personally it’s something that’s built up more from the outside,” he admitted. “I had a lot of history with Arsenal playing with Spurs and the North London Derby was the biggest game of the Premier League season. I have a different team here and my focus is on beating Arsenal. I’m sure a lot Spurs fans will be wanting us beat Arsenal tomorrow but I just have to focus on beating the team in front of me.
“I feel like being released [from Arsenal] at a young age was in the back of my mind. There was a point to prove. It’s been like that my whole career. There’s always a reason to prove somebody wrong. Now I’m here at Bayern all I can do is help them to win the Champions League.”
