Spicy confession: Leverkusen star used to hate Kimmich | OneFootball

Before the Bundesliga top match between FC Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen, Robert Andrich is causing a stir with an unusual confession. The captain of the Werkself admits that he used to "hate" Joshua Kimmich – and explains how his relationship with the Bayern star has completely changed.

When the whistle blows on Saturday evening (6:30 PM) at the Allianz Arena, Robert Andrich and Joshua Kimmich will face each other as central figures of their teams. While they have long formed a well-coordinated duo in the national team, their relationship was anything but friendly in the past.

In an interview with Sport BILD, the 31-year-old reveals: "I once told Joshua: 'I don't know why – but I hated you.'"

From Prejudice to Friendship

Photo: IMAGO

Andrich justifies his statement with false impressions from afar: "Often, you form an opinion before you really get to know the person. Josh is a fitting example of how we footballers often project a different image on the field than in real life."

Today, the two midfielders share a genuine friendship – also because they resemble each other in many ways. "There's less laughter," says Andrich, who sees his own ambition reflected in Kimmich: "It bothered me that he quickly appears negative on the field when something doesn't suit him. But fundamentally, we are very similar."

Leverkusen with Record Series in Munich

In the top match on Saturday, Andrich also faces his former companions like Jonathan Tah – and brings an impressive statistic: Bayer Leverkusen has been unbeaten in 37 Bundesliga away games, a historic record.

Andrich can even add to that: For him personally, the series stands at 38 games without an away defeat. Nevertheless, the captain remains modest: "This number is a nice side note, but we want to win."

His recipe against the Munich team: full concentration in the opening minutes. "You must have a clear plan in Munich to survive the first difficult ten, fifteen minutes."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.