Neuer remains a doubt for the Allianz Arena meeting after missing Bayern’s past two matches, but Raya would welcome the chance to face one of his childhood role models again.
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David Raya hopes Manuel Neuer is fit enough to face Arsenal tonight, with the goalkeeper describing the Bayern Munich captain as a “legend” and one of the players he admired growing up.
Neuer remains a doubt for the Champions League meeting at the Allianz Arena after a foot problem kept him out of Bayern’s previous two matches.
Rather than welcome the possible absence of one of the opposition’s most accomplished players, Raya made clear that he would relish another opportunity to share a pitch with him.
Asked what he particularly admired about Neuer’s game, Raya said: “I like every single thing about Manuel Neuer. He’s a legend of the game, even though he’s still playing. What he’s done and what he has achieved, personally and collectively, is remarkable.”
He continued: “He’s been a great goalkeeper and a great role model for a lot of young goalkeepers. When I was young, he was playing and I looked up to him. It’s just a pleasure to be sharing the pitch with him once again. Hopefully, he’s fit enough to play tomorrow.”
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Raya did not single out one particular element of Neuer’s game. Elsewhere in his press conference, however, the Arsenal goalkeeper discussed his own enjoyment of playing with the ball at his feet and the challenge posed by Bayern’s aggressive press.
“We know they press very high,” he said. “They go man to man,” Raya said, explaining that Arsenal hope to play through that pressure to create opportunities of their own.
Whether Neuer will be involved remains uncertain. Bayern have described his problem as an accumulation of fluid on his foot, with sporting director Max Eberl playing down the seriousness of the issue after Saturday’s 6-1 victory over RB Leipzig.
“It’s nothing serious – it’s just a bit of fluid on the foot,” he said.
The problem was nevertheless been enough to rule the 40-year-old out of Bayern’s past two matches, the 3-3 Champions League draw away to Viking Stavanger and the emphatic Bundesliga win against Leipzig.
Jonas Urbig deputised in both matches with Neuer training separately following the development of the problem before the trip to Norway.
Eberl said Neuer was not ready to face Leipzig and that Bayern would assess whether he could return against Arsenal.
As of Tuesday morning, he remains a doubt rather than a confirmed absentee.
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