Bayern Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick is hoping to upset a few old friends as he attempts to fire Bayer Leverkusen into the last 16 in the Champions League.
The Bundesliga champions entertain Sparta Prague at the BayArena on Wednesday night and will run out occupying the eighth and final automatic qualification place in the table.
For Czech Republic international Schick, who began his career with Sparta, it will be an emotional evening.
The 29-year-old told a press conference: “I played for Sparta until I was 18. A lot of my old friends are coming to watch the game. It will be a battle for 90 minutes and my friends will be against me.
“It has been a long time since I played for Sparta. The team has changed, but I still know a few faces.”
Xabi Alonso’s men lost 2-1 at Atletico Madrid to a last-gasp Julian Alvarez winner in their most recent European fixture, and squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at RB Leipzig in the league on Saturday.
However, they know their fate is in their own hands against a side which has already been eliminated from the competition, and Alonso has told his players to forget what is happening elsewhere.
He said: “Our focus is what happens on the pitch, not on what happens in other games. We are focused on what we can do and we want to get a good result.
“We cannot underestimate our opponents and must give everything for our goal.”