BayernForum.com

23.02.2007

There are matchdays, and there are matchdays following Champions League fixtures, as Bayern have painfully discovered this term. The champions have lost in the league immediately following a European outing on three occasions this season, including the trip to VfL Wolfsburg last autumn. The Wolves arrive at the Allianz Arena for the return on Saturday (<b>Live in English from 3:15 pm on FCB.tv Web Radio</b>), and again the match takes place in the immediate aftermath of the Champions League.

"What happened to us before Christmas mustn't happen again," Hasan Salihamidzic advised. The Reds fell by the only goal of the game in late September, just three days after travelling to Inter Milan and coming away with a 2-0 victory. Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge appealed to his team's sense of ambition: "Anyone wanting to appear in the Champions League next season has to pull himself up by the bootstraps and battle through the weekly grind of the Bundesliga."

<b>Total concentration required</b>

The men from Munich will be buoyed by a long and impressive stretch in the second half of the midweek clash in Madrid. "We put them under extreme pressure after half-time. We want to build on this performance and carry the impetus with us," Ottmar Hitzfeld commented, describing his side's 3-2 reverse as "a huge and successful boost. It's what we needed to help us out of our rut."

However, the players know they will have to run and scrap just as hard against their domestic opponents as they did against the Spanish giants. "We have to concentrate totally on the Bundesliga again," Hitzfeld urged. The General warned his side not to underestimate Saturday's visitors: "Wolfsburg are an unpredictable team."

<b>Beware the prowling Wolves</b>

The men from Lower Saxony are currently on a roll, a fact not unnoticed in Bavaria. VfL are undefeated in four matches, battling back from 2-0 down against leaders Schalke last week to claim a 2-2 draw. "You'd normally expect them to be pushing for a place in Europe," Hitzfeld remarked. "It'll be tough. We mustn't underestimate Wolfsburg," Lukas Podolski agreed.

The Wolves have never won in Munich, "but we have no reason to be scared. Provided we fight, we could still get something from Bayern," Munich legend and Wolfsburg boss Klaus Augenthaler insisted. "There's never been a better chance for Wolfsburg to win in Munich for the first time," winter signing Marcelinho declared.

<b>Defensive frailty</b>

"We'll keep a very close eye on Marcelinho," Hitzfeld announced. "He can settle a match with one solo effort or a free-kick." Brazil star Lucio emphasised the danger posed by his fellow-countryman's set plays. "We mustn't commit too many fouls. It could be very dangerous."

The Bavarian plan calls for early pressing and denying the visitors space. "They have a few weak points in defence, and that's what we'll try and exploit," Hitzfeld reasoned. The Wolves have conceded two goals in each of their last seven matches.

<b>Lell, Görlitz, Pizarro and Podolski?</b>

However, Bayern have been less solid than usual at the back themselves this season. To make matters worse, Hitzfeld is without three of his regular defenders on Saturday. Martin Demichelis and Willy Sagnol both serve one-match suspensions, while Daniel van Buyten is ill. Christian Lell is set to deputise at centre-half with Salihamidzic coming in at right-back. Andreas Görlitz may start in midfield, while Hitzfeld has favoured a front two of Claudio Pizarro and Lukas Podolski in training this week.

"The Wolfsburg match is very important to us. Every game is like a final from now on," the head coach observed, eyeing the five-point deficit to Bremen in third. Rummenigge reckoned a win "would give us confidence, belief and stability. Our excellent 30 minutes in Madrid was the first step in the right direction, but now we have to keep going against Wolfsburg."

<b>Probable line-ups:</b>

<b>Bayern Munich:</b> Kahn - Salihamidzic, Lucio, Lell, Lahm - Görlitz, Hargreaves, Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger - Pizarro, Podolski

<b>VfL Wolfsburg:</b> Jentzsch - Quiroga, Madlung, Hofland, Van der Heyden - Makiadi, Van der Leegte, Krzynowek - Marcelinho - Hanke, Klimowicz

<b>Referee:</b> Torsten Kinhöfer (Herne)

<b>Bayern's record in the fixture:</b> P9 W8 D1 L0 F26 A6

FCBayernNews wrote:Bayern Munich: Kahn - Salihamidzic, Lucio, Lell, Lahm - Görlitz, Hargreaves, Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger - Pizarro, Podolski

I'm a bit worried with this formation to be honest... it's a very untested formation, especially with Görlitz being in the starting line-up.