Take home form on the road

The autumn sun has been shining on Munich over the last few days, and that reflects the mood in the Bayern camp following two big wins in which they scored eight goals and conceded none. The omens are therefore good for their next tricky task as their busy autumn continues with an away match at Hamburg (Saturday 18:30 CEST, live Ticker and Webradio commentary).

“It’ll be quite a different game to the one against Celtic,” predicted Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. He expects a tough test for his side who should not be blinded by Hamburg’s recent results – they have only collected one point from their last six games. Heynckes has studied the opposition in detail this week, and believes they are “much better than their results suggest. We go there with respect.”

After two wins from two home games, Heynckes is demanding a strong performance from his side on the road. “We need to show we can play similar football and be as convincing away from home,” said the 72 year-old. “We need to build on our performances at home. That’s the message I’m trying to get across to the players: never stand still, never be satisfied! We’ve had a good start but it’s nothing more than that.”

Major rotation unlikely

Where does Heynckes see room for improvement? “We’ve kept two clean sheets but the opposition still had chances,” assessed the Bayern boss, who’s looking for further fine-tuning at the back. He wants his side to improve “the coordination and discipline in defensive play”, and that everyone is involved in the play, both “going forward and when defending”. And the solution, according to Heynckes: “work, work!” A progress report will be possible at the start of November after the games against Hamburg (Bundesliga), Leipzig (Bundesliga and DFB Cup), Celtic (Champions League) and Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga). “In these games we need to show where we’re at.”

Heynckes did not want to disclose details about the side he’s going to select in Hamburg, but the Bayern coach ruled out wholesale changes. “From experience I know that first you need to get into a rhythm and gain confidence. You can rotate when you’re sure it’s the right thing to do.” Heynckes will wait until the final training session to see what state the players are in “physically and mentally. Then I’ll decide whether I make one, two or three changes.”

Spirited hosts

Whichever starting eleven takes to the field in Hamburg, they’ll be met with a lot of resistance. “I totally refuse to take the approach that you have no chance,” said coach Markus Gisdol, demanding a positive attitude from his team. “Obviously lots of things need to come together, but you always have a chance.” The HSV boss was impressed by Bayern’s performance against Celtic in the Champions League. “They played really well against Celtic. It could’ve been 6- or 7-0. It’s a very tough task that awaits us.”

Gisdol will have to do without 18 year-old Vasilije Janjicic, who has to stay in hospital until Saturday due to a virus infection. Sejad Salihovic could also miss out against the record champions because of a calf injury. Wingers Tatsuya Ito and Filip Kostic could be in the squad having recovered from their injuries, but they are unlikely to play the full 90 minutes.