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FC Bayern Munich chasing their 23rd Bundesliga title will take on arch rivals FC Schalke 04 in a friendly at the Al Sadd Stadium here today. The match starts at 7pm. |
Both teams are here in Doha for winter training and have already started their New Year on a high, winning their friendly matches against local Qatari clubs.
Munich on Saturday registered a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Qatari champions Lekhwiya SC, while FC Schalke defeated Al Sadd 3-2 on Sunday.
With nine points clear of their closest rival Bayer 04 Leverkusen (33 points) ahead of the Bundesliga restart on 18 January, head coach Jupp Heynckes would be keen to bolster his team’s confidence with a win over Schalke 04, who are currently seventh in the league with 25points.
The 64-yr-old have already announced that he and his team is ‘Determined to win the league’.
“FC Bayern has never before played such modern and attractive football. Bayern have always had great teams and a lot of success, but the dedication, discipline, organisation and forward play of this side make for something special. In the light of all of which, naturally enough, we’re incredibly determined to win the league this season,” said Heynckes recently.
Bayern’s star mid-fielder Bastian Schweinsteiger yesterday, at the Grand Heritage Doha Hotel, revealed that he and his team was ready for the remaining part of the season. “Everyone is raring to go again. We all want to win the Bundesliga and as many other titles as possible. I can feel the hunger. We’re training intensely and at a very, very high level. The facilities in Doha have been top class and we have made the most of it,” said Schweinsteiger, who was plagued with injuries in 2012.
Schweinsteiger was also of the view that it was a matter of fine tuning things from now on for his team.
“We need to improve our transitional play and our shape. We only conceded seven goals in the first half of the season, so we need to make the very most of that. Our aim has to be to keep a clean sheet in every match,” said Schweinsteiger adding that the team was keen to do well in the friendly against Schalke 04.
“It is important to do well against Schalke but more than that our focus is towards winning the league and all the training is keeping the league in mind.”
Sriker Mario Gomez, who returned to team training after missing the last two days due to ankle problems, is sure to take the field against Schalke today.
FC Schalke on the other hand has been hit with injury worries. Ibrahim Afellay and Christoph Moritz skipped yesterday’s training session and even missed the trip to the desert with the rest of the squad later in the day.
Moritz sustained a medial collateral ligament tear in his right knee during the friendly against Al Sadd, it was revealed.
The Germany Under-21 international will therefore be out for several weeks. Afellay, who had only just returned from a hamstring injury, is again suffering with a muscle problem.
Coach Jens Keller, despite the setback, was confident of his side putting up a good show in the friendly but asserted that his focus too was on finishing the league on a high.
“The friendly is just a part of our preparations. I would like to see the team finish among the top. To be there in the Champions Trophy next years we have to do well in the league first,” the 42-year-old has stepped up from coaching the under-17s to replace Huub Stevens.
Schalke 04’s Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was also of the view that the team can make amends in the second half of the season and the winter training has gone well.
“We have been training hard here in Doha and we will try to transform that into success in the remaining part of the season. Our aim is to keep improving in the league,” said Huntelaar after a training session yesterday.