Mainz not a warm-up for PSG semi-final, insists Kompany

Vincent Kompany was very clear that Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga meeting with Mainz will be taken seriously, despite their Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain being around the corner.

Bayern wrapped up the Bundesliga title last weekend, with a 4-2 comeback win over Stuttgart, ensuring they will top the pile for the second year running after securing the trophy with four games to spare.

They then booked their place in the DFB-Pokal final in midweek by beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0, as they continue to chase a treble.

Eyes have already been drawn to the mouth-watering clash between Bayern and PSG, with the first leg of the semi-final taking place on April 28.

But Kompany, whose side have the chance to equal the record points tally in the Bundesliga (91, set in 2012-13), is determined to pick up a win against Mainz.

“The Mainz game is no warm-up but a Bundesliga fixture,” Kompany said in his pre-match press conference.

“We want all three points. I believe Urs Fischer would do the same thing in my position.

“It could be that there are changes as we manage workload. The important thing is that we’re ready to play our best. But if that doesn’t work because Mainz is a very tough away game, then we also need to be ready to fight.

“I want to field players who don’t need to be concerned about things because they’re fresh. Everyone wants to play their role in the coming weeks, but the priority now is Mainz and making sensible decisions.”