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Baptista: Malaga are confident of progressing
Mar 12, 2013 5:45:00 PM
The Brazil international hopes the club's fans will enjoy the historic night at La Rosaleda as the team look to reach the Champions League last eight for the first time
| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £23.75 | Draw £36.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £30.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £24.00 | Draw £34.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £28.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £23.00 | Draw £34.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £29.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £22.50 | Draw £35.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £30.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £23.70 | Draw £34.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £28.70 |
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The Spanish side lost 1-0 in Portugal in the first leg, but former Real Madrid star Baptista feels the team have what it takes to turn the tie around.
"I think we’re more than capable of gaining the advantage on the scoreboard here at our home ground," he told reporters.
"We need to score a goal, but the important thing is being confident that it is possible. It’ll be tough, but we’re going to make things as hard as we can for Porto.
"They’re going to focus on imposing their style of football. We are the ones who can turn it around to our advantage.
"We’ll make the difference with our attitude, game play and intensity. These factors will turn the result around from the first leg."
Manuel Pellegrini's side have never played a knockout match at home in Europe's premier club competition, and Brazil international Baptista believes the players will make it a night to remember for the supporters.
"This is an historic match for Malaga. We’re absolutely determined and full of positivity and motivation, as are the fans, ahead of tomorrow night’s game," he continued.
"The fans will really enjoy the match and we’ll be doing everything in our power to ensure we get the result we’re all hoping for."
The 31-year-old has been struggling with a thigh strain and was rated as a slight doubt for Wednesday's match, but he insisted he is ready to play a full part in the encounter.
He added: "I’m feeling fine, I trained all week, I just think it was a muscle overload injury I sustained through fatigue. If the coach thinks I should play tomorrow, then I’m definitely match-fit."
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Live!
Champions League final - LIVE!
German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.
6:49 PM BST
Fair to say that our man Jay Jaffa is really savouring the atmosphere at Wembley right now:
"Just off Wembley Way I've found a Bayern 'area', if you can call it that. A mass of red-shirted fans are lapping up the last of the sunshine and having a sing-song. On the opposite side of Wembley, Dortmund have an official brass band smashing out A-Ha's 1985 classic 'Take On Me', while a group of insanely talented ball jugglers entertain the passers by. It's ramping up now, more folk are filling the walkways and it truly feels like the Champions League final. Not long now ... "
Couldn't agree more with Jay: the excitement really is building; and 'Take On Me' was indeed a classic. Indeed, if the 1980s gave us nothing else (and other than Arrigo Sacchi's wonderful Milan side, they didn't!), they did at least provide us with a pop song as brilliant as its video - a rare occurrence in the music world.
"Just off Wembley Way I've found a Bayern 'area', if you can call it that. A mass of red-shirted fans are lapping up the last of the sunshine and having a sing-song. On the opposite side of Wembley, Dortmund have an official brass band smashing out A-Ha's 1985 classic 'Take On Me', while a group of insanely talented ball jugglers entertain the passers by. It's ramping up now, more folk are filling the walkways and it truly feels like the Champions League final. Not long now ... "
Couldn't agree more with Jay: the excitement really is building; and 'Take On Me' was indeed a classic. Indeed, if the 1980s gave us nothing else (and other than Arrigo Sacchi's wonderful Milan side, they didn't!), they did at least provide us with a pop song as brilliant as its video - a rare occurrence in the music world.
6:40 PM BST
And now the Bayern line-up! The only small surprise here is that Jerome Boateng has been preferred to Daniel van Buyten alongside Dante at the heart of the defence. As expected, Mario Mandzukic has got the nod up front ahead of Mario Gomez.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Martinez, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Muller, Ribery; Mandzukic.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Martinez, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Muller, Ribery; Mandzukic.
6:36 PM BST
Borussia Dortmund have announced their starting line-up for tonight's Champions League final!! And it's as we predicted, with Kevin Grosskreutz starting on the left-hand side and Marco Reus moving infield to fill the void left by the injured Mario Gotze.
Dortmund XI v Bayern: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gundogan, Bender; Blaszczykowski, Reus, Grosskreutz; Lewandowski.
Dortmund XI v Bayern: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gundogan, Bender; Blaszczykowski, Reus, Grosskreutz; Lewandowski.
6:31 PM BST
Questions rolling in for our own Carlo Garganese over on Twitter, the most left-field of which comes 'I'm Moeg, Sien jy! @MurGyver 34s', who writes:
"Is it true that players can't wear underwear in the final?"
Surely you have to log on now for no other reason than to find out the answer to that cracking enquiry?!
"Is it true that players can't wear underwear in the final?"
Surely you have to log on now for no other reason than to find out the answer to that cracking enquiry?!
6:26 PM BST
Bayern have arrived at Wembley! The legendary Lothar Mattheus will obviously be cheering on die Roten this evening, but he is just hoping that Fussball is the winner tonight:
"The whole world will watch the game," the World Cup winner told Sky Sport Germany. "It electrifies the masses. Never before there was so much talk about a Champions League final than this time.
"Both groups of fans know the whole world is watching. We have to present ourselves similar to the way we did at WC 2006 because it brings a lot of sympathy. Today we have another chance to present Germany in a positive way."
Unfortunately, there were reports of some clashes between rival sets of fans earlier in the day, but, happily, the atmosphere at the ground is wonderfully good-natured.
"The whole world will watch the game," the World Cup winner told Sky Sport Germany. "It electrifies the masses. Never before there was so much talk about a Champions League final than this time.
"Both groups of fans know the whole world is watching. We have to present ourselves similar to the way we did at WC 2006 because it brings a lot of sympathy. Today we have another chance to present Germany in a positive way."
Unfortunately, there were reports of some clashes between rival sets of fans earlier in the day, but, happily, the atmosphere at the ground is wonderfully good-natured.
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