Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich has the utmost respect for Portugal ahead the UEFA Nations League Final Four this week even if Germany has won 11 times and only lost to Portugal three times in the last 19 meetings between the squads.

“That’s not a topic for us in the team. It’s a new team compared to the one from 2021. Both teams have changed. It’ll be a completely different game,” Kimmich said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Heck, with so many injuries, the German national will look a lot different from the last international break in March.

“We’re trying to focus on the players who are here. Of course it’s bitter and annoying that there are so many injuries, but there’s no point in talking about that because the players who are at home won’t help us. We still have a lot of quality and enough good players to win both games,” Kimmich said.

The Bayern Munich midfielder will earn his 100th cap on Wednesday, a big achievement for the team’s captain.

“It actually means a lot to me. It’s a big honor to have played this many games for Germany. It shows that I’ve been showing a very good level over the past 9-10 years, and thankfully also rarely injured. I’ve had many ups and downs with the national team, it’s a big honor to be here and hope there’s more to come,” said Kimmich.

When told that he will be “the 14th player with 100+ caps for Germany and the only one without a World Cup title”, Kimmich had a chuckle.

“There are still a few chances. That means we had World Cup campaigns where we weren’t successful,” Kimmich said with a laugh. “We have to do better. We felt at the EUROs that there was a connection between the team and the country, even though we didn’t win the title. That’s the goal. I don’t know if it’ll be enough to win the biggest titles, it depends on many factors and small details. We’ll try to prepare well for the World Cup, we’re on a good path”

One player who will be more capped than Kimmich in the game is Portugal’s Cristian Ronaldo. Kimmich said the 40-year-old is still a threat.

“I read that he scored 130 or 132 goals for the national team. There’s still a long way to go for that. Cristiano Ronaldo has crazy numbers, especially when you look at the consistency, he’s been playing at a very high level for over 20 years — he performed for his country. For me 100 caps already make me very proud,” said Kimmich.

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