Bayern Injury List Strains Pep Players

Bayern Munich may be expected to chalk up another Bundesliga win against Hoffenheim on Sunday but all is not well with the league leaders.

Their coach Pep Guardiola is reportedly cracking down as he seeks a treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup trophies in his last season in charge with his next destination likely to be Manchester City.

His predecessor Jupp Heynckes managed the feat in his final campaign in 2013.

Despite an eight-point lead over Borussia Dortmund in the league, where Bayern have dropped just five points all season, Kicker magazine reported that the relationship between Guardiola and his players was coming under strain.

The Spanish coach is said to be unhappy with some players’ professionalism and their behaviour on days off, with trips abroad causing particular annoyance. Kicker also said Guardiola criticised players for being overweight before the league resumed after its month-long winter break last weekend.

Bayern’s injury problems have revealed some tension at the club, with Jérôme Boateng the latest added to a long list. The Germany defender has been ruled out until at least the latter stages of the season with a groin injury sustained in last Friday’s 2-1 win at Hamburg.

Boateng’s absence is a blow for Bayern before the Champions League last-16 match with Juventus on 23 February.

The Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge indicated his frustration when he told the dpa news agency that he recommended the German football federation “keeps back” from Boateng “or there’ll be stress with Bayern”.

The Germany coach Joachim Löw had suggested he would give Boateng every chance to recover for the European Championship in France.

Rummenigge also revealed Boateng had consulted the former Bayern doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. Müller-Wohlfahrt had quit Bayern after 38 years in April 2015 after rowing with Guardiola over the club’s injury list.

Boateng joins Franck Ribéry, Mario Götze, Medhi Benatia, Rafinha and Sven Ulreich among Bayern’s casualties.

Guardiola will need to come up with solutions, with Xabi Alonso, Holger Badstuber or Javi Martínez likely to fill in. “I have huge trust in Guardiola and the team,” Rummenigge insisted.

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Lahm Considers Bayern Back Office

Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm has admitted he has given some consideration to ending his career before his contract runs out.

The 32-year-old retired from international football immediately after captaining Germany to World Cup glory in 2014.

He has previously suggested his current contract, which expires in 2018, will be his last, but has now told Germany's Bild newspaper he may even call it a day before then.

"My current contract runs up to the summer of 2018 and of course I am not getting any younger, but rather older, and you've always got to ask yourself questions as a professional sportsman," he said.

"If somebody were to come along who could play my role better than me, or if I notice that I can no longer keep up, then I would certainly have to deal with perhaps having to call it a day sooner."

When Lahm does pin his boots to the wall, he intends to remain part of the Bayern Munich family in some capacity.

"I certainly want a long-term bond to remain with this club," he added.

Lahm has played for Bayern since 2005, after a two-year loan spell with Stuttgart. He joined the Bavarian club in 1995 and has played almost 300 Bundesliga fixtures for the record German champions.

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Pep Plans Revealed to Rummenigge

Bayern Munich chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, admits he had known for a fortnight that Pep Guardiola was going to leave the Bundesliga club next summer.

Guardiola’s departure at the end of his contract in June was confirmed by the Bavarian club on Sunday, although the announcement hardly came as a surprise with speculation rife that the Spaniard would be leaving.

Rummenigge has revealed he knew what was coming weeks ago, telling Germany’s Bild newspaper: “He came over to me two weeks ago at our Christmas party and told me that he was looking for a new challenge. He was almost apologetic. I’m not disappointed in him.”

Although confirmation of Guardiola’s decision to leave did not come until this month, Rummenigge believes he had spotted signs as early as the summer, but did not really want to believe them.

“You could read between the lines and that was something that we should have interpreted,” Rummenigge said. “We did take note of it, but we just wanted to give him time to make up his mind in peace.”

Carlo Ancelotti will take Guardiola’s place on the Bayern bench from next season and Rummenigge is delighted with his club’s capture.

“Carlo Ancelotti has had success everywhere,” he said. “He’s won the Champions League three times and that remains a record to this day, and he’s got quality of course. He fits in here, it’s as simple as that.”

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, centre, talks to Arjen Robben and his family during the celebrations. Photograph: A. Hassenstein/Getty Images for FC Bayern

Rummenigge also dismissed reports that Guardiola had decided to leave due to disputes with the club’s medical team or the director of sport, Matthias Sammer.

“There has always been this speculation, that Sammer and Pep had problems, but it’s all rubbish,” added Rummenigge.

Sammer lauded Guardiola and claimed he had been treated unfairly by the media, because of his success.

“In Germany we always have the feeling that when somebody’s getting so much praise, then there has got to be another extreme and they’ve got to be brought down somehow,” Sammer told Sky Sport Deutschland. “What he has achieved, also for German football, is extraordinary and we’ve got to recognise that.

“We have got to bring an end to seeing negatively somebody who works so painstakingly, as if tomorrow never comes. In recent days, Pep’s come off far too badly. What he does with his hard work, his dedication and his positive craziness can be discussed, but it cannot ever be questioned.”

Sammer says Bayern will not fall apart now that Guardiola is leaving, however, saying that they had always been planning for this eventuality.

“It’s a pity [that Guardiola is leaving], but this is football,” Sammer added. “It’s always a loss, but on the other hand we have to serve our responsibility for this club and get back to normal.

“What the players have achieved in these past four years is absolutely honourable, and now we’ve got to find the right time to get back to talking about what matters. Ancelotti is the man we really wanted; nobody else came into the frame.”

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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.

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Aviva Welcome for Poland

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Republic of Ireland host Group D leaders Poland in Dublin looking to keep in touch with second place after picking up seven points from their first four games.

Germany, Scotland and Martin O'Neill's Republic of Ireland all sit on the same number of points, three behind Poland, with six games remaining.

They were beaten in Scotland in November after picking up two wins and a fine draw in Germany, while Poland have won three and drawn one, including an impressive win over the world champions.

Republic of Ireland midfielder Darron Gibson has returned to Everton with a groin problem, but full-back Stephen Ward and winger James McClean, who had ankle knocks, were both able to train on Friday. Hull winger Robbie Brady and Stoke's Marc Wilson are on standby to fill in at left-back if Ward is not fit.

Derby's Jeff Hendrick (hip) will miss the game and O'Neill is likely to partner James McCarthy and Glenn Whelan in central midfield

O'Neill has given away little about his selection and will not name his team until Sunday, but the final open training session suggested he may employ a three-man defence and wing-backs against the Poles.

Poland's injury list includes Lukasz Piszczek, Kamil Grosicki, Artur Jedrzejczyk and Michal Zyro, while Borussia Dortmund star Jakub Blaszczykowski has been left out of the squad amid newspaper reports of a spat with star striker Robert Lewandowski. However, coach Adam Nawałka insists he is concerned over the player's fitness after a year out with knee ligament damage.

With Wojciech Szczesny not featuring for his club Arsenal, Nawalka has announced that Swansea's Lukasz Fabianski will start in goal for his side with Artur Boruc on the bench.

Ireland's record in 25 games against Poland is W6 D9 L10. It was 0-0 when they last met, in a friendly in Poznan on 19 November 2013.

They have only met twice in competitive fixtures, and both matches ended in a draw – 0-0 in Dublin and 3-3 in Poznan in EURO '92 qualifying.

Ireland have won three of their last four competitive games at the Dublin Arena.

Poland have won both of their away games in Group D, scoring 11 goals and conceding none.

Poland come into this match having played exactly 100 UEFA European Championship games, with the record W41 D28 L31.

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