UWCL: Bayern Munich captain Glódís Viggósdóttir still gets ‘butterflies’ ahead of PSG clash

UWCL: Bayern Munich captain Glódís Viggósdóttir still gets ‘butterflies’ ahead of PSG clash The UEFA Women’s Champions League still gives Bayern Munich captain Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir ‘butterflies’. The unbeaten German champions face Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday. The 31-year-old first played in the competition at 16 with Icelandic club Stjarnan, when she remembers around 25 spectators watching. Now, preparing for another European night in Paris, she says the occasion has lost none of its appeal. “It’s always special to walk out into the big stadium, see the fans, hear the cheers, to line up and hear the song,” Viggósdóttir said. “Obviously, it gives you always a little bit of butterflies, and you get this exciting feeling. “I think that’s the beauty of football, is that it doesn’t matter how long you played. You always get this feeling of, ‘wow, this is incredible.’” Viggósdóttir missed the recent 1-0 DFB-Pokal victory over Bayer Leverkusen with a knee problem but offered a positive update on her recovery. “I’m feeling good. I had a little bit of issues with my knee, but it’s on the upward trajectory now, and so that’s positive,” she said. Embed from Getty Images A different Champions League Viggósdóttir has witnessed the transformation of women’s European football since her first appearance in the competition. “It’s massively different,” she said. “A lot has changed in these years since I played my first game, and the competition has grown, the football has grown.” She recalled the tournament”s limited visibility during her early career. Matches were rarely televised, and she could not remember who won the Champions League in her debut season. “We’ve come such a long way since I was young, with the quality, with the professionalism, with the interest, with the investment,” she said. “There’s so many things that have happened and a lot of people who fought incredibly hard for this to happen.” The Iceland captain also praised the quality of Bayern’s current squad, describing Momoko Tanikawa as ‘a generational talent’ and Klara Bühl as ‘one of the best players in the world, without a doubt’. Embed from Getty Images Experience and European ambition José Barcala’s side are unbeaten in all competitions this season and have taken five points from their opening three Champions League fixtures. Bayern drew 2-2 with Manchester City, beat Benfica 3-0 and recovered from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Real Madrid. PSG also have five points, following draws against Real Madrid and City and a 5-0 victory over OH Leuven. Viggósdóttir admitted Bayern had been too slow to impose themselves against Madrid. “We didn’t start off the game well enough,” she said. “It felt like we were a little bit on the back foot and maybe not as aggressive and as much ourselves as we want to be. It was almost like it took those two goals to wake us up.” Although proud of Bayern’s response, she identified PSG’s attacking transitions as a particular concern. “They always have this individual brilliance that they can bring out in certain situations,” she said. “I think that’s what we need to be the most aware of on the transition.” Embed from Getty Images Lessons from last season Bayern won 3-1 at the Parc des Princes in last season’s league phase, but Viggósdóttir warned against reading too much into that result. “Last year, we won the game there, but it was a tight game,” she said. “It’s a brand new game. They have a bit of a different team, so we need to be really well prepared and bring our best.” She also dismissed the suggestion that PSG’s home support could intimidate Bayern, saying the atmosphere was ‘nothing to be intimidated by, but rather take energy from’. Bayern reached last season’s Champions League semi-finals before losing to Barcelona. Viggósdóttir believes the experience showed they could compete with Europe’s best. “I think we showed in the tie with Barcelona that we can play our game against them,” she said. “If we’re able to do that and then defend well at the same time, that’s what can take us those steps further in the Champions League.” For Viggósdóttir, the ambition is to go further in Europe. But 15 years after her first Champions League appearance, the feeling of walking out for another European night remains unchanged. Find out where to watch the UEFA Women’s Champions League at wheretowatch.uefa.com . Related articles from Her Football Hub: Suwen Süper Lig results: Galatasaray go top as Fenerbahçe’s eight-goal response sets up derby week Arkema Première Ligue week 7 results: Montpellier stun Lyon before second half collapse, no winner in Paris derby ÖFB-Frauen Bundesliga results: First Vienna celebrate historic comeback, Graz stay top and St. Pölten keep up the chase