Created on 12-12-2007 at 00:00 AM
Luca Toni trotted out onto the training ground on Wednesday, only to find a ball barring his way. What else could the Italian do, but aim a mighty hoof at the pill and blast it away into the far distance? Only then did he rejoin fitness coach Thomas Wilhelmi for a personalised workout. Unfortunately, that single kick was Luca’s only contact with the ball that day.
The Italian spent both the morning and afternoon training sessions putting in laps of the practice ground alongside Wilhelmi. “Luca’s struggling with a tight hamstring and couldn’t do more than jog. He’ll have intensive treatment,“ Ottmar Hitzfeld reported. The Bayern coach could not assess Toni’s chances of featuring in Saturday’s Bundesliga trip to Hertha Berlin.
Match practice for Rensing
Willy Sagnol, who was forced to break off the session early for the second day in a row, also looks an increasing doubt for Saturday. “He took a heavy blow on his back, and it’s still hurting him. He’s been in the weights room and on the exercise bike,“ Hitzfeld commented.
The definite non-starters are Hamit Altintop, Marcell Jansen (both recovering from surgery), Lucio (final match of a four-game suspension) and Oliver Kahn, suspended by the club for disciplinary reasons and set to be replaced by Michael Rensing. “Michael’s always done well for us. It’s another good opportunity for him to gain match practice and show us what he can do,“ Hitzfeld observed.