Thirteen Reds on international duty

03.02.2008
Bayern have successfully contested the first two competitive fixtures after the winter break, only for half the squad to disappear from Munich for a variety of destinations around the globe. Wednesday sees the first round of internationals of the new year, all of them friendly matches, with 13 of the 24-strong Bayern squad called up to represent their countries.

The largest single contingent will feature for Germany away to Austria. Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski have been nominated by coach Joachim Löw for the warm-up against the Euro 2008 joint hosts in Vienna. The Germans will be without a number of regulars through injury, but Löw is confident of giving Podolski a run-out. The Reds striker has been sidelined recently with a slipped disc, but is now "fit and capable of playing,“ Löw announced.

Comeback for Sagnol

The same applies to Franck Ribéry. The midfielder was substituted at half-time in Rostock last Friday complaining of a stretched hamstring, but the measure was only precautionary and the player should be fit to appear for France against Spain in Malaga. Moreover, Willy Sagnol returns to squad duty for his country for the first time in more than ten months. The right-back last pulled on a France jersey on 24 March 2007, before sustaining serious cartilage damage while appearing for Bayern a short time afterwards.

Munich top scorer Luca Toni makes the short trip to Zurich, where Italy meet Portugal. The air temperature is bound to be more agreeable for Hamit Altintop in Istanbul, where he represents Turkey against Sweden. Dublin is the somewhat chillier destination for Lucio and Breno, with the centre-back duo set to line up for Brazil against Ireland.

National team against club

Perhaps the most unusual fixture of the week involves Daniel van Buyten. The Bayern defender represents the Belgian national team away to top flight club side Standard Liege. Finally, the longest trip of the lot will be undertaken by Argentina stars Martin Demichelis and José Sosa, as the venue for their meeting with Guatemala is Los Angeles. Martin and Jose will not arrive back in Munich until Friday this week, but the rest of the internationals should return in time for Thursday training at the Säbener Strasse.


 

Question-marks over Ribéry and Lucio

04.02.2008
Six days before the meeting between top club Bayern and second-placed Werder Bremen at the Allianz Arena, the Munich medical unit is working overtime to stave off the prospect of the Reds losing star duo Franck Ribéry and Lucio for the clash with the title contenders from the north.

Ribéry came off at half-time in last Friday’s away match against Rostock complaining of tightness in his left hamstring. The midfielder continued to be troubled by the problem on Monday and was forced to pull out of the France squad for a friendly meeting with Spain on Wednesday. Ribéry will return to Munich on Tuesday and report for intensive treatment.

Podolski resumes team programme

Lucio did not even make it as far as joining up with his national squad: the Brazil captain is out of the midweek meeting between the Seleção and Ireland in Dublin with an inflamed Achilles tendon, and is rated doubtful for the Bremen clash. “We’ll have to wait on it,” Bayern assistant coach Michael Henke told fcbayern.de.

On a more positive note, striker Lukas Podolski returned from a ten-day lay-off with a slipped disc on Monday and trained normally with the Germany squad. Michael Rensing, ruled out of the first two competitive fixtures of the new year with a back problem, is also making good progress and completed a few laps of the practice ground in Munich on Monday.

Only eleven away

The reduced squad left behind in Munich focused on fitness at the start of the week. “We’re working without the ball today,” Henke revealed to fcbayern.de. After a session in the weights room, Henke sent the players on a stamina-building run. Alongside head coach Ottmar Hitzfeld (away on official business), José Ernesto was also unexpectedly absent after his on-off call-up to the Argentina squad for a friendly against Guatemala in Los Angeles (USA) was finally confirmed.

Problems arose after the Argentine association missed a deadline for securing the player’s entry visa, and the midfielder had resigned himself to staying at home. “But he ended up getting his visa after all,” Henke reported. After the injuries to Ribéry and Lucio, the end result is that 11 rather than the original 13 Reds will feature for their countries in midweek.