Penalty spectre does not worry Bayern, declares cool Müller

Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller is not panicking about the prospect of further Champions League final shoot-out misery at Wembley tomorrow.

The legendary German accuracy from the penalty spot suffered a malfunction a year ago when Chelsea emerged victorious.

Tomorrow, Bayern return to the final for the third time in four years knowing their mettle might be tested in the most extreme manner again as they do battle with Borussia Dortmund in the first all-German final, but Müller is refusing to lose any sleep over the prospect.

“What happened last year has nothing to do with self-confidence,” he said.

“You never know who will be on pitch at that point and some players are better at penalties than others, but no-one will be wetting their pants over it.”

The German invasion of Wembley does appear to mark a shift in the European balance of power. Lauded as possibly the greatest club side ever for their performances in the previous four seasons, Barcelona were slaughtered by Bayern in the semi-final, the Germans romping to a 7-0 aggregate triumph.

“Barcelona were extraordinary in what they have done over the last few years,” said Bayern skipper Philipp Lahm. “They have won the Champions League on a couple of occasions and we felt they were the team we had to beat if we were going to be successful this season.

“It is difficult to know whether we can take the torch away from them, we shall have to see how it develops. But things are looking very positive for the future of the team.”

Coach Jupp Heynckes reported a fully fit 21-man squad, which Bayern will start as favourites to lift their first European crown since 2001. With the Bundesliga title already confirmed and a German Cup final against Stuttgart to follow next week, Heynckes’ final season as a manager is threatening to leave new boss Pep Guardiola with a difficult act to follow.

The 68-year-old accepts his team are something special. “We have achieved some extraordinary things,” he said “Our season has been the best in the Bundesliga in 50 years. But we have the aspiration to carry on.

“I am fortunate. I have won the Champions League before when I was at Real Madrid. For the players in our squad who are 28 and over, tomorrow could be the crowning moment of their careers.”

Bayern have not beaten Dortmund in six meetings since February 2010 and Müller acknowledges the side Bayern wrested the Bundesliga title from have plenty of quality despite the absence of Bayern-bound Mario Gotze.

However, he is adamant his side are the stronger. “Borussia are a complete team,” he said. “But I don’t have believe we have any weaknesses. We have played a lot of games, scored a lot of goals and not conceded many. I have a good feeling about tomorrow.”