Boca Juniors contest excites Harry Kane as Bayern prepare for match against the Argentinian powerhouses and their fans.
Before Friday’s match against Boca Juniors at Hard Rock Stadium, Florida thunder storms delayed Bayern Munich’s flight to Miami, giving Harry Kane an early taste of the great American outdoors before the World Cup next summer.
When asked repeatedly, mostly by the Argentine press, about the erratic reaction he can anticipate from Boca’s supporters—who have been the most colourful spectacle of the Club World Cup thus far—Kane was still his usual mild and temperate self upon arrival.
“The Boca fans are obviously loud and they’re passionate,” said Kane. “A big part of their game is to have the fans behind them, to use them as the energy and to take them into tackles and to battle. Their fans are going to be passionate. They’re going to be trying to push their team to win the game. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to the atmosphere. You know, sometimes it brings out the best in you as a player.”
Additionally, Kane is ready for the physical altercation that the Boca defence will present. In their tournament debut matchup with Benfica, Boca displayed a unique style of heavy-contact defence, three red cards, and concussion-related challenges.
“It’s going to be heated, it’s going to be hot, it’s going to be a physical game. And they have some quality players as well, so we need to be ready for that. We have to be ready for the battle tomorrow. They’re a team who like to like to battle, like to make it difficult, like to counter press the opponent. We need to be ready for that.
“To be honest, I’ve not played against many South American teams in my career so far. So I think any game, any new team you play, is another experience. It’s hard to really say how the game is going to go tomorrow, but like I said, I know they’ll be very passionate, very hungry to get the result.
“There’s a lot of top quality teams all around the world. It’s not just Europe where football is played and you see that at national level as well. So it doesn’t surprise me that some of the teams who are maybe not looked upon as some of the favourites, are doing well in this tournament. I don’t think any anyone needs to be taken lightly.”