Showing posts with label Holger Badstuber. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holger Badstuber. Show all posts

Tuesday, 23 February 2016

Juventus v Bayern Munich - Preview

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Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola is not concerned by a host of defensive injuries ahead of their Champions League last-16 tie at in-form Juventus.

Guardiola is without centre-backs Javi Martínez (knee), Jerome Boateng (groin) and Holger Badstuber (ankle).

It means that midfielder Joshua Kimmich and full-back David Alaba could form a makeshift partnership.

"We don't have any central defenders, that's how it is. We've got to avoid conceding set-pieces," Guardiola said.

"They are maybe the best team in Europe from set-pieces."

Guardiola won the Champions League twice as a manager at Barcelona, and is seeking to lift the trophy for the first time with Bayern before he heads to Manchester City next season.

He takes his team to face a Juventus side who reached last season's final and who had won 13 consecutive games in all competitions before a Serie A draw at Bologna last Friday.

Gianluigi Buffon says Juve are a lot more assured than when they last lost to Bayern at home in 2013

Massimiliano Allegri's team are also on a 16-game unbeaten run at home in the Champions League.

They will be without Giorgio Chiellini (calf) and Alex Sandro (thigh), who were left out of their squad, but Mario Mandzukic has shaken off a calf problem with Allegri saying that the former Bayern forward and midfielder Sami Khedira would start.

Juventus suffered a rare home defeat by Bayern in 2013 but goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said: "We'll be up against a very strong team with very few, if any, weaknesses. But we're also on the up. We're a lot more self-assured than we were three years ago."
Bayern are eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and are unbeaten in 10 games.

Guardiola added: "Juventus didn't start the season well, but things are working well now with their style of play so it's going to be an interesting game.

"We'll try to play well and score a few goals, which won't be easy because they have not been conceding."


Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Porto v Bayern Munich


Porto will be looking to maintain their unbeaten run in this season’s Champions League when tournament-favourites Bayern Munich visit on Wednesday.

The Portuguese champions are seeking a first semi-final appearance since their 2004 run to the final, when they won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho, against the five-times European champions from Bavaria.

Porto routed Swiss champions Basel 4-0 at home in the last 16, second-leg, having drawn 1-1 in Portugal and they will be looking for a repeat performance. Manager Julen Lopetegui has said his side will not adopt the role of the underdog against Munich.

"We are talking about one of the best Bayern teams in the history of the club," said Lopetegui.

"We have a great respect for Bayern, but we have the ambition to be protagonists. We have a huge challenge ahead of us.”

Bayern are missing a host of stars including wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, plus German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, but the Bundesliga giants could still name five World Cup winners at the Estadio do Dragao.

Philipp Lahm is expected to start in midfield in a game, but the reshuffle may have little impact on a side who stormed into the last eight with a 7-0 demolition of Shakhtar Donetsk. 
Team news

Bayern Munich head into their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Porto in the midst of an injury crisis. 

Alaba, Benatia, Martinez, Ribery, Robben and Schweinsteiger are all currently injured as boss Pep Guardiola will have to call on some of his fringe players to get past a dangerous Porto side who are yet to taste defeat in the competition this season.

Porto are sweating on the fitness of forwards Jackson Martinez and Cristian Tello ahead of the first leg. Both are struggling with hamstring injuries, while centre-back Ivan Marcano is suspended.

Bayern Munich are odds-on favourites at 3/4, with Porto considered 100/30 outsiders establish a first-leg lead and 13/5 to hold the favourites to a draw. Pep Guardiola’s men head the Champions League outright at 15/8, while their hosts are considered the biggest-priced outsiders left in competitions at 66/1. 

Robert Lewandowski is the 4/1 favourite in the first goalscorer betting closely followed by Thomas Muller (9/2), while Jackson Martinez is rated the visitors’ biggest threat at 8/1.