Danish striker Soeren Larsen was angered by the coach's attitude and believes it harms him directly.

Kuranyi sat on the bench, for the first time in six months, against Hansa Rostock last Saturday but he replaced Larsen after only 30 minutes.

"I was replaced too early. Why doesn't the coach let me play until the end?" Larsen told Bild on Monday.

"We all know that Kevin will begin the game against Barcelona. Even if I had scored two goals, I would not start on Wednesday."

On the other side, Slomka backed Kuranyi who has been underperforming lately. "Kevin is a very big player and he has a large contribution in the team's victories. Even if he doesn't score goals but he helps his teammates do."