Muller hoping for Ancelotti effect in Champions League

Thomas Muller is hopeful that Carlo Ancelotti can work his magic in the Champions League with Bayern Munich this season.  

Ancelotti has a proud history in Europe’s premier competition having won the top prize twice as a player and lifted the Champions League three times as a coach – twice with AC Milan and once with Real Madrid.

Bayern were Champions League victors in their treble-winning 2012-13 campaign under Jupp Heynckes, but fell in the semi-final stages in each of Pep Guardiola’s three seasons in charge.

But Muller, speaking ahead of Bayern’s group stage opener against Rostov, is optimistic Bayern can win Europe’s greatest prize for a sixth time under the Italian.

“Ancelotti’s excellent qualities as a coach will help us,” he told a pre-match news conference.

“I hope that he has a special feeling in the Champions League.

“The team is hungry, we are still not satisfied. Even in training games it is always about winning.”

Ancelotti himself added that Bayern will give everything to win UEFA’s elite competition, starting against the Russian side.

“The Champions League is a special competition,” Ancelotti said. “I won it three times. Tomorrow we start. It is very important to us and we will give everything.

“We have the potential [to win it]. In March and April it is serious, but now we just have to go from game to game. First we need to win the group.”