Carlo Ancelotti wants Bayern to bounce back following their European exit
ByPA Sport
Published 21/04/2017 at 16:16 GMT
Carlo Ancelotti has urged Bayern Munich to respond to their European heartache by beating Mainz on Saturday and m ove a step closer to retaining their Bundesliga title.
Carlo Ancelotti wants Bayern Munich to wrap up the Bundesliga title as soon as possible
Image credit: PA Sport
Carlo Ancelotti has urged Bayern Munich to respond to their European heartache by beating Mainz on Saturday and m ove a step closer to retaining their Bundesliga title.
Bayern crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night following a controversial 4-2 extra-time defeat to Ancelotti's former club Real Madrid which sealed a 6-3 aggregate win for the holders.
The German side felt hard done by at the Bernabeu as two of Cristiano Ronaldo's goals appeared to be offside and Arturo Vidal was shown a second yellow card in the 84th minute despite clearly winning the ball.
But Ancelotti does not want his side to dwell on the loss, instead turning his attention to domestic matters with a visit from Mainz followed by a DFB Cup semi-final against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Bayern are eight points clear of RB Leipzig at the top of the Bundesliga, which they have won for the last four seasons, with only five matches remaining.
And Ancelotti wants the title wrapped up quickly in his debut campaign at the helm.
"We have a great opportunity to respond in a positive way," the Italian told the club's official website.
"We need to win the title as soon as possible. We're in a good position with a good lead.
"We need to win, we need to show our quality and with the backing of our fans we can do that."
Ancelotti will have to make do without Manuel Neuer for the business end of the season after the Germany goalkeeper broke his foot against Real, handing an opportunity to Sven Ulreich
Ancelotti added: "That doesn't change our tactics for the game in any way. I have complete trust in Sven, he's a quality goalkeeper."
Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez are also unavailable with minor knocks, but Mats Hummels has declared himself fit.
Mainz are fighting hard to avoid relegation and find themselves only outside the bottom three on goal difference.
They ended a five-match winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Hertha Berlin last week and are confident they can upset the odds at the Allianz Arena, according to coach Martin Schmidt.
Schmidt, quoted on Bayern's official website, said: "If we can go above our maximum level of performance, then we can start to dream.
"If we're not at 100 per cent, we have no chance."
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