Harry Kane says he has a burning desire to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich and make Tottenham fans happy in the process.
Bayern head into the second leg of their quarter-final tie with Arsenal level at 2-2 after a pulsating game at the Emirates last week.
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Kane reached the final with Spurs in 2019 only to lose 2-0 to Liverpool and he hopes to take a step closer to going one stage better this time around by knocking out their North London rivals and advancing to the last four.
He said: “When you reach a final and don’t quite get over the line there is always a burning fire to get back there and go one step further. We have an opportunity that starts with a big game tomorrow and then, if we get through, it’s just a couple of games to Wembley.
“It’s in the distance at the moment and I can just try to put in my best performance and step by step we can reach our goals.”
Kane did his best, however, to play down his personal rivalry with Arsenal, adding: “For me personally, it’s probably built up more from the outside, fans and the media.
“I had a lot of history with Arsenal and the north London derby. It was the biggest game when I was in England but now it’s a new chapter and my focus is trying to beat a really good Arsenal side.
“I know a lot of Tottenham fans will be hoping Bayern go through tomorrow and that’s all I can try and do.”
🎙️ Kane on the focus ahead of the second leg:
“We have a great opportunity here at home tomorrow. We want to achieve something big. Personally, I want to help the team and score goals.”#packmas #FCBARS pic.twitter.com/vAOEivpfGl
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 16, 2024
By their lofty standards, Bayern have endured a miserable season domestically with Bayer Leverkusen ending their 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga crown.
Kane has sparkled, however, scoring a league-leading 32 goals in his first season in Germany.
“It has been a disappointing season in the league,” said the England captain. “Credit and congratulations to Bayer Leverkusen for what they’ve achieved.
“We’re honest and open and we haven’t achieved the standards we want. We have had better performances in the Champions League.
“We have a great opportunity tomorrow night to keep the season alive and keep some hope among the fans that we can achieve something special.
“I just want to do what I can do tomorrow to help the team in any way possible. I’m really enjoying it here in the Bundesliga.”
🎙️ Kane on the #UCL:
“We’ve been better in the Champions League this season than in the Bundesliga. The atmosphere at our home will be fantastic. We have full confidence in ourselves that we can be successful tomorrow.”#packmas #FCBARS pic.twitter.com/e6AAtZAc94
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 16, 2024
Arsenal come into the game on the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa that seriously damaged their Premier League title chances.
But Kane is still wary of the threat Mikel Arteta’s men will pose.
He said: “We have to learn from the first game. Defensively we did really well and made it difficult for them to create chances. It may be different tomorrow in front of our fans.
“Hopefully we can keep the ball better and pin them into their half, but we know they have great threats that we have to wary of. The best thing from the first game was the way we were collective and we’ll need that again tomorrow.”
