Successful return to favourite hunting ground

It’s a long trip from Munich to Stuttgart, especially by bus, so the Bayern stars had plenty of time to prepare mentally for Tuesday’s cup clash with VfB Stuttgart. Some will have played cards, others used books or music to while away the time. There’s a suspicion Bastian Schweinsteiger might have watched a motivational CD – a replay of the 2006 World Cup third-place play-off, perhaps.

Germany beat Portugal 3-1 in Stuttgart that day. The 24-year-old FCB man, now on 62 caps for his country, scored twice and set up the third in one of his best performances on the international stage. That all took place two-and-a-half years ago, but there was a strong sense of deja-vu following Tuesday evening’s DFB Cup encounter.