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Arjen Robben scored at Old Trafford one his last encounter with Manchester United. Michael Sohn
heavy favourites

'Playing United really gets the best out of me' warns Bayern's Arjen Robben

The Dutch attacker claims his Munich teammates are already bored with their league title success.

BAYERN MUNICH STAR Arjen Robben said his side are eager to show they are ‘the most dominant team in Europe’. The Dutch winger will visit Old Trafford on Tuesday as his team look to put one foot in the Champions League semi finals.

Pep Guardiola’s men became the earliest Bundesliga champions when they sealed the club’s 24th league title on Tuesday. Robben said there were few celebrations in the dressing room, with players focused on claiming back-to-back UEFA Champions League crowns.

Such has been their dominance, Bayern are favourites for the Champions League title and face Manchester United in the quarter-finals starting Tuesday. Robben said it was in Europe that his side wanted to impress the most.

“No team can have stroll to the final. We are facing Manchester United, a big name in world football, but we are razor sharp,” he said. “Our football is phenomenal and we want to show that more than anywhere in the Champions League.

“Playing United is the sort of thing that really gets the best out of me. We won the German league last week, but we were not even bothered about that. Nobody in the dressing room was talking about it. We knew ages ago we would win the title.” This is what Robben did to United during their last Champions League encounter:

GoalsOnSunday / YouTube

The Netherlands international said Bayern had improved under Guardiola, who is in his first season in charge, and their dominance is almost certain to continue. “Guardiola has turned us into the most dominant team in Europe. We have made another giant step as a team this season,” Robben said.

“We are more dominant than we have been. From the very first minute we put massive pressure on our opponents and are capable of keeping the ball and putting them under pressure for the full 90 minutes.

He added, “Guardiola is very demanding. He asks a lot from his players. Every day it is so intense, but I love that. Our playing style is even more attacking than last year. Then we used to play compact, and we let the other team come into our half sometimes, so we could hit them with the counter-attack.

“But this manager is tactically so strong. He is always pointing out where we can find the space to get one-on-one situations. He teaches us to make quick sprints and runs without the ball.”

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