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Fusball Arena München, Munich
Tuesday 30 September 2008 - 20.45CET
Group F - Matchday 2
Jürgen Klinsmann is putting his faith in the evolution currently changing the face of FC Bayern München as the German champions prepare to tackle their French counterparts Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday.
Mixed results
The alterations which the former Germany coach has made both to the team and to their approach since taking over in the summer have brought limited rewards, with patchy Bundesliga form only partially offset by the 1-0 defeat of FC Steaua Bucure?ti a fortnight ago. However, that victory in Romania means Bayern lead Group F, and Klinsmann is upbeat as he pits his wits against his former AS Monaco FC team-mate, Lyon coach Claude Puel.
‘Changing hierarchy’
“I think it’s a good time for this match. It’s normal there are problems when we lose, but the team are going through a restructuring process,” said Klinsmann, who saw his side beaten 1-0 at Hannover 96 on Saturday to drop to ninth in the table after six games. “The hierarchy is changing, and it’s a very interesting situation. I think it evolves even quicker when there are lots of matches, like there are now. We have to try and live up to the demands of the moment.”
Ribéry return
Right-back Christian Lell limped out of the weekend reverse and will be replaced by Massimo Oddo, who opted for Bayern over Lyon when leaving AC Milan last month. Another man who made the same choice the year before when departing from Olympique de Marseille, Franck Ribéry, may not make the starting XI yet the French international’s return this week following ankle surgery suggests he will feature. “Franck is a very good player who gives the team a lot, even if he’s on the bench, because of his happy-go-lucky nature,” Klinsmann said. “He gives us more confidence and more creativity on the pitch, and we’re delighted that little by little he’s getting back into shape and soon he’ll be 100 per cent.”
Juninho doubt
Puel will make an eleventh-hour decision on whether to include midfield fulcrum Juninho Pernambucano, who has sat out the club’s last two Ligue 1 encounters with a groin injury. The 33-year-old has barely been missed, however, as Saturday’s 2-1 home win against AS Nancy-Lorraine extended Lyon’s unbeaten opening to the league campaign to seven games, easing them five points clear of the chasing pack. Karim Benzema limped out of the match but will be fit to lead the attack, while Anthony Mounier – the supplier of both goals against Nancy – is likely to be preferred in left midfield to Kim Källström.
Points needed
Lyon were unable to replicate their imperious domestic form in their Group F curtain-raiser, although they came from two goals down to share the spoils with ACF Fiorentina, and Puel knows that that home draw means his team must not leave Bavaria empty-handed. “I think all the matches are important as the group is so tight, but we have to bring something back from here,” he said. “We’ve started very well [in Ligue 1] and the progress has been interesting, but the Champions League is a totally different level. Bayern are going to be ready mentally, they’ll be highly motivated and will produce some top-quality football.”
Ribéry relishes rising expectations
Franck Ribéry admits he is thriving on the growing sense of expectation surrounding his possible inclusion in the FC Bayern München side to face Olympique Lyonnais in Group F on Tuesday.
‘I feel good’
The winger, who missed Bayern’s 1-0 win at FC Steaua Bucure?ti two weeks ago, has made just two substitute appearances this season since recovering from a serious ankle injury sustained with France at UEFA EURO 2008™. With Bayern having made a faltering start to their Bundesliga title defence, and with the French champions arriving in Bavaria, the clamour for Ribéry’s return has been deafening. “I try not to worry too much about that, but I’m happy people are expecting a lot from me. That means I must be doing something right on the pitch,” said Ribéry, who emerged from the bench at half-time of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Hannover 96. “But I’ve only played a handful of minutes against [1. FC] Nürnberg [in the German Cup] and a half in Hannover – that’s not much. I feel good though and want to get back to the sort of form I was in last season.”
‘Not catastrophic’
Named the Bundesliga’s best player in his maiden campaign, Ribéry was both key to the club’s seventh league and cup double, and the inspiration behind their run to the UEFA Cup semi-finals under Ottmar Hitzfeld. Klinsmann’s arrival this summer saw a number of changes initiated, with Ribéry backing the new coach’s methods to come good. “The coach has come in and changed a lot of things since the end of last season. It’s difficult at the moment, but it’s not a catastrophe,” said the 25-year-old. “When you play at Bayern, you are always under pressure to win. We haven’t been able to do that in our last two league matches, but we have to forget about that and concentrate on beating Lyon.” The Hannover reverse followed a 5-2 home thrashing by Werder Bremen.
Perfect tonic
The sight of the former Olympique de Marseille player on the pitch against his compatriots would be the perfect tonic for Klinsmann, and a major concern for Lyon who rescued a point in a 2-2 Matchday 1 draw against ACF Fiorentina having gone two goals behind. With Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ribéry to contend with, Lyon’s Mathieu Bodmer is fully aware of Bayern’s threat. “Their strengths are going forward – there’s lots of movement, Ribéry is coming back, and their strikers are all internationals,” said Bodmer, who has been converted from silky midfielder to stoic central defender. “But we’ve seen recently that they concede goals. We mustn’t concede ourselves and hopefully our forwards can do something at the other end. The most important thing is not to concede a goal.”