Nikolic: We need to make a small miracle

Lokomotiv head coach Marko Nikolic on the match against Bayern in the Gameweek 6 of the Champions League group stage.

- Tomorrow is the final round of the Champions League. We played well for four rounds, but the last one was unsuccessful. As I said before the first match against Bayern, this is the best team in Europe and possibly in the world. But in football there is always a chance. I want the team to show themselves until the last second, as long as we have a chance. So that the teams fights on the field. I don’t know what will Bayern line-up be, but it doesn’t matter. They have a lot of high-quality players, and we were preparing for this. We are missing a lot of players. Everyone who is healthy flew to Munich. You need to leave all your energy on the pitch and make a small miracle. This happens in sports.

- Who will start the game tomorrow?

- Everyone who is healthy have arrived. Probably, Bayern will not play with the main squad. I can’t be 100% sure about that, but in the last matches they had rotation. Bayern have a lot of quality players and it is a dream to show yourself against the best team in Europe. But if you do not dream, you will not achieve anything.

- Everyone liked Lokomotiv in the first match. Was that game perfect?

- We played well, but lost 1:2. However, we gained experience. Tomorrow there will be completely different choice of players. They have different qualities. The game will be different too.

- A joking question: do you have any connections at Bayern to ask them not show their best on the pitch? And what problems do Bayern have now?

- Bayern are the best team in the world. They rotate and know how to use their energy wisely from game to game. As for the first question, I have connections there, but if we think that the opponent would not give 100 percent, then everything will end in disaster. We must be ready that Bayern will have the best squad. This is a German team with its own mentality. They cannot play half-heartedly. If we relax even for a second, we lose our chances of success.

- Will there be tactical surprises?

- I already answered this question. The choice of players is different, we miss many. We have to adapt to the qualities of the players that will come on the pitch tomorrow.

- Is it easier to choose a squad when there are less players?

- No. The coach always has a choice. Now the choice is small, but it is there.