Borussia Mönchengladbach are one of only two sides to have beaten Bayern Munich under Hansi Flick this season, and Yann Sommer knows that any team needs luck in the right moments on a perfect day to be able to beat the league leaders.

Gladbach's Swiss shot-stopper sits down with bundesliga.com to look ahead to the highlight of Matchday 31's action, the Foals' results since so far since the restart and how he has become of the best "reaction" goalkeepers in the world...

bundesliga.com: Since the Bundesliga restart we have already had five matchdays. Could one say that you have become accustomed to the special circumstances?

Yann Sommer: "Yes we have. Of course, in the beginning, it was a difficult situation. It was a weird situation because everything was new and the preparation and organisation was new. But now we've got used to it and are happy that we can play."

bundesliga.com: How do you fell about the seven points collected since the restart?

Sommer: "We take the seven points because it's always difficult to get into a situation like this as we had eight or nine weeks of a break and you never know how fit you are. We take the seven points, of course we know that not everything was perfect, but we keep going. Our situation is still good, really good, and we'll see what happens."

bundesliga.com: This weekend you have the weekend's highlight mate against Bayern Munich. Since you joined Gladbach, the Foals have had a positive record against Bayern and are the only team in the league to do so. What makes Gladbach such a bogey team for Bayern?

Sommer: "I think both of us want to play, want to have the ball and have a lot of quality. That is why it's always a good and interesting game because both teams are defending really well and are compact. But, when we - or they - have the ball, there is quality, a lot of speed and power in the game. Against teams like this, like Bayern Munich, you always need a little bit of luck in the right moments. When you have this luck, then it puts you in a good position to win a game against a good team."

Watch: Gladbach's 2-1 win over Bayern in this season's reverse fixture!

About the players

27

Yann

Sommer

FC Bayern München

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bundesliga.com: And what makes you such a nuisance to Bayern? After all, you were able to beat Bayern while representing FC Basel as well...

Sommer: "I have both really good experiences and really bad experiences. But this is normal because Bayern is a really good team. We have to say that Bayern is still one of the best teams in the world. So, it's always a big challenge to play against every team, especially Bayern. I try to perform at my best in every game, and when we play against Bayern you need this good performance because the quality of their strikers is high. We need a perfect day to beat Bayern Munich."

bundesliga.com: What is special about games against Bayern?

Sommer: "I have to say, for me, every game in the Bundesliga is special. Every game is a good game because all the teams are really interesting, it's a good league. Of course, as I said, Bayern are a world-class team who are always playing for the Champions League title and the German title. We want to give them a really difficult challenge in the game and we try to win every game in this league, whether it's against Bayern or any other team. We want to win every game and that's what we'll try to do this weekend."

bundesliga.com: Even your personal record against Robert Lewandowski is exceptionally good. He has only scored three times against you and his worst goalscoring tally during his time at Bayern is against Gladbach. How do you prepare for games against such extremely experienced players?

Sommer: "He's world-class, of course, one of the best strikers in the world. As I said before, to play against him is a big challenge for a goalkeeper and defence. He is, of course, one of the best in his team but around him, there is a lot of quality as well. So, in the games against Bayern, you need a really good defensive performance as a team and even then we want to make it challenging to score against us. It's not easy and we want to do everything to keep it like that."

The battles between Yann Sommer and Robert Lewandowski over the years have been some of the best between goalkeeper and striker in the Bundesliga. - imago

bundesliga.com: There's one moment this season that will almost certainly never be forgotten: your incredible save in the first meeting with Bayern, this incredible 'clawback' by 'the hand of God', as it was even named back then. What memory do you have of this?

Sommer: "In the end, it was a perfect situation because the ball didn't go in. It was a deflected shot from [Joshua] Kimmich and in the beginning, it goes under my arm, and from then it was just a reaction. I knew the ball was going over the line and I had to pull it back. I was a little bit lucky that it went like this and I'm happy with the situation in the end."

bundesliga.com: Was it, in terms of reactions, the best save of your career?

Sommer: "I don't know. It was maybe the most spectacular reaction in my career but, of course, it was a little bit lucky as well because, in this situation, it was with one finger in the last moment. I was also sure that the ball went over the line but I'm happy that the referee watched carefully."

bundesliga.com: Have you always had outrageously good reactions?

Sommer: "Yes, I have trained my reactions a lot over the past years because, as a goalkeeper, you have a lot of situations where the ball is coming at you very quickly from not very far away. So, you need to have good reactions and need to be quick on the line. I try to improve on that every week."

Watch: Yann Sommer’s last-gasp save vs. Bayern!

bundesliga.com: Four teams, seven points difference, three Champions League spots to play for. Why do you think Gladbach can secure qualification for next season in what is going to be a fascinating race until the end of the season?

Sommer: "I believe in our team, I'm optimistic because I know what this team can do, what kind of performances this team can bring on the pitch. We'll do everything to take one of these four places. We train hard, will try to improve over the last weeks, will try to win our games and will try to bring really good and consistent performances onto the pitch. That's our goal. I believe in us, with my heart, and we'll try everything to get one of these places."

bundesliga.com: Last weekend Mamadou Doucoure played his first Bundesliga game for Gladbach. How moving was that moment for him, you and the whole team?

Sommer: "I was really happy for him because he had a bad situation, many bad months at this club since he came here, a lot of injuries. He's a good guy, a good boy, and we were really happy that he played his first game for the club. He worked hard for it, came back each time from his injuries - which is not easy for a young guy. However, it shows that he's a good character and that he believes that it'll get better. Now, the better times are here and he played his first game. I was really happy."

About the clubs

Borussia Mönchengladbach

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