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| Post subject: Cup preview: Magath calls for convincing victory |
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24.10.2006
Bayern face the prospect of descending into a crisis should the side which has won the domestic double two seasons in a row fail to beat second division Kaiserslautern when the sides meet at the Allianz Arena in the DFB German Cup second round on Wednesday evening.
Still smarting from Saturday's painful defeat to Bundesliga leaders Werder Bremen, Reds boss Felix Magath has called for his men to register a convincing victory over the visitors from the Rhineland Palatinate region. "I'm not prepared to contemplate being knocked out of the Cup," he declared on the eve of the fixture.
However, the head coach refused to label the match an opportunity for his side to atone for the weekend reverse. "It's a different competition against a second division side," he remarked, "so there's not a lot of credit on offer for us." Nevertheless, a win would do the mood at the club a power of good: "I'd like to see us score two or three times," Magath urged.
Boss expects reaction
The 53-year-old believes his charges will leap at the opportunity presented by the tie. "It's rarely been as quiet as it was on the return flight from Bremen," Magath revealed, hinting at the depth of frustration in the dressing room. The squad had "made a good impression" in training, "and I believe the players are totally up for it, and keen to win by a wide margin."
Daniel van Buyten was only too happy to agree. "None of us can be pleased with the last performance. We've been discussing how we should react as a team," the centre-half explained. Claudio Pizarro also feels the side is set to bounce back in style: "We're angry about the defeat in Bremen, but that apart, we're in good shape, and we'll show it."
Opponents on form
The Kaiserslautern camp was less than delighted by Bayern's stumble in the league. "I do not like that at all," opined coach Wolfgang Wolf, "Bayern will just be even more motivated." The fallen giants still hope to give the Cup competition's most successful team "something to think about," despite the men from Munich having won all 13 of their Cup ties under Maagth.
The Red Devils approach Wednesday's match on the back of a victory at the Allianz Arena, where they beat TSV 1860 Munich by the only goal of the game on Sunday to move into the promotion places for the first time this term. "Kaiserslautern are in good form, but we're favourites and it's our duty to get through," Magath noted.
Demichelis for Lucio
The visitors will field Florian Fromlowitz instead of first-choice keeper Jürgen Macho as Wolf announced a number of team changes, but Magath would only confirm the selection of Martin Demichelis to deputise for injury victim Lucio. "I've not decided what else we might do," he insisted, after calling up reserve centre-back Christian Saba as emergency cover.
Whatever Bayern's final formation, anything less than a clear-cut win is all but unthinkable. "We'll see what sort of reaction the team can conjure up," Magath mused, "as I'm sure we all share the goal of making the Cup final."
Probable line-ups:
Bayern Munich: Kahn - Sagnol, Van Buyten, Demichelis, Lahm - Van Bommel, Ottl, Schweinsteiger - Podolski, Makaay, Pizarro
Also in matchday squad: Rensing, Lell, Karimi, Salihamidzic, Dos Santos, Santa Cruz, Saba
Kaiserslautern: Fromlowitz - Müller, Bouzid, Beda, Bellinghausen - Demai, Borbely - Hajnal, Lexa - Darham, Karadas
Referee: Peter Gagelmann (Bremen)
Bayern's record in the tie: P7 W5 D1 L1 F15 A5
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