Xabi Alonso admits winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich would be the “icing on the cake” for his career.
The Spaniard has twice won the tournament, scoring as Liverpool came from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan in the 2005 final, before watching from the stands as Real Madrid hoisted the trophy in 2014, with injury keeping him out of the showpiece.
However, European glory has eluded him since joining Bayern in 2014, with the Bavarians falling at the semi-final stage in both of his seasons at the club.
Wednesday sees them get the chance to gain some revenge on the side that knocked them out of last year’s competition, when they meet Atletico Madrid.
Bayern are 2.50 to win in the Spanish capital, with the draw 3.10 and Atleti 3.00. Atletico were the club Alonso’s Real side got the better of two years ago and Los Blancos repeated the trick in May.
With Barcelona triumphing in 2015, breaking the Spanish stranglehold on the Champions League is one of Bayern’s biggest goals for the season.
At 34, Alonso has achieved almost everything, having also won two European Championships and a World Cup with Spain. With his contract at the Allianz Arena expiring in June, the play-maker admits conquering Europe with Bayern is his one remaining goal.
“To win the Champions League with Bayern is a dream for me, a great aim that I hope I can achieve,” he told Marca. “It would be the icing on the cake.
For Bayern, it’s very important to win it because we know how prestigious this competition is. “We have a great team, fantastic fans and we are a big club. Our duty is to be in a position to win it, although winning it depends on the day.”
Bayern are currently 4.33 to win the tournament, with Barcelona the favourites at 3.80.
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