Bundesliga
Benjamin Pavard: "I'm only thinking about Stuttgart, not Bayern"
French World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard says he is not thinking about his summer move to Bayern Munich, and is solely focused on helping VfB Stuttgart avoid relegation from the Bundesliga this season.
The 22-year-old defender will officially end his three-year association with Stuttgart at the end of 2018/19, after signing a five-year deal with Bayern in January.
"My only goal for the time being is to ensure Stuttgart's survival," Pavard told Sport Bild. "I'm not interested in other things at the moment. I guarantee that from now until the summer, I'm only thinking about Stuttgart and the fight for survival, not Munich."
Watch: Benjamin Pavard reflects on life in the Bundesliga and winning the World Cup
Pavard helped Stuttgart gain promotion to the Bundesliga in his first season at the club and played every minute as Die Schwaben missed out on a place in Europe by just two points last term.
Stuttgart have won just four times in 2018/19, however, and go into Sunday's meeting against second-bottom Hannover occupying the relegation play-off spot, with just 16 points after 23 matches of the 34-game campaign.
"We have a saying in France, 'fight to the death', and that's what I'll do," affirmed Pavard, who has made 18 Bundesliga appearances for Stuttgart so far this season, sitting out Matchdays 15 through 19 with a muscle tear.
"We all love the club and none of us are happy about our current situation. It's down to us to turn it around."