Philipp Lahm: 'Three points and we're basically ther

FCBayernNews · News fetcher Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 1240 votes: 2

16.10.2006

The squad emerged for Monday training a little later than planned as coach Felix Magath had a video to show before moving his men outside onto the practice ground. The players gathered in the professionals' quarters day room to study highlights featuring midweek opponents Sporting Lisbon, as the Reds step up preparations for a potentially decisive Champions League fixture.

Two days ahead of Wednesday's showdown, Magath and his men went through a last workout on home soil before taking Lufthansa flight LH5018 to the Portuguese capital on Tuesday morning ahead of final training at the Estadio Jose Alvelade in the evening.

Van Bommel and Pizarro report fit

The pre-match mood in the Bayern camp is quietly confident. "We'll concentrate on playing our own game. If we can keep producing what we did in the first hour against Hertha we could be going places this season," Mark van Bommel remarked, "we can beat anyone on that form."

The Dutch midfielder has shaken off a hamstring problem and has declared himself fit for the Lisbon clash, as has the other minor doubt, Claudio Pizarro. "I'm training normally," van Bommel announced.

Lahm calls for more concentration

Magath is thus in a position to name an unchanged side, and appears highly likely to stick with the line-up which defeated Hertha Berlin 4-2 at the weekend. Germany international Philipp Lahm reckons a win on Wednesday would all but guarantee Bayern's place in the Champions League last sixteen: "If we can come away from Lisbon with three points, we're basically through."

Lahm would like to see Bayern repeat their dashing attack-minded antics of the weekend, but urged his team-mates to avoid the carelessness which saw Hertha claw their way back to within a goal of the Reds after Bayern had been 3-0 up early in the second half. "We have to concentrate harder and be more aggressive," the left-back declared. "We have to play the way we did in Milan when it comes to the Champions League," van Bommel agreed. Magath and Co would happily settle for the 2-0 victory they registered in northern Italy last time out.

tracylynn

I totally agree with what Lahm is saying in the article. The team does need to concentrate more and if they do get those three points then they're on the goal line of going to the next round.