Kimmich on facing Vinicius Junior: “One of the best dribblers in Europe”

Joshua Kimmich has great respect for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, who he describes as “one of the best dribblers in Europe”.

Bayern Munich will have their hands full defensively when they welcome Real Madrid to the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night for the first of two Champions League semifinal matches.

One of the players the Bavarians will have to watch out for is Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior, and as Joshua Kimmich pointed out at the pre-match press conference, he knows exactly what the Brazil international is capable of.

“He’s one of the best dribblers and one-on-one players in Europe,” Kimmich said, adding: 

“It’s always difficult to defend alone against a player like him. We’ll also have to solve things with team tactics. He’s dangerous and has a lot of pace.” 

Kimmich was also asked about facing Germany teammate Toni Kroos.

“I know Toni from the national team. He gives every team security on the ball, control and dominance. He’s achieved so much and been through so much. You can always learn something from him because he’s got so much experience,” Kimmich said.

As for how he thinks Bayern should approach the game, the Germany international said:

“We didn’t have much time to prepare. Real’s strengths are in transition. It’ll be a mixture. It’s important to defend well, but we can’t hide, we have to be strong and have possession. It’s a balance between attacking and defending, between defending high and defending deep, and always having the courage to attack.”