Created on 10-09-2009 at 00:00 AM
On Thursday, the Bayern squad began preparing for Saturday’s Bundesliga fixture away to Borussia Dortmund. Following the return of all Munich’s internationals to the Säbener Strasse, coach Louis van Gaal welcomed his players to the first of just two training sessions ahead of the vital league clash at Signal Iduna Park.
Van Gaal, who himself resumed duty in Munich for the first time since a ten-day stay in his home country of the Netherlands, received one piece of very good news on his arrival: Luca Toni resumed the squad training programme for the first time after a long injury lay-off. Club chief medic Dr Müller-Wohlfahrt had previously cleared the Italian to rejoin the team for the normal workout schedule. However, it is much too early for the 32-year-old goal-getter to play any part in the weekend match.
Toni’s return was not the only positive development for Van Gaal, as all his men returned from international duty uninjured. The 58-year-old will thus pick from a full squad for the meeting with BVB, with the exception of convalescent quartet Mark van Bommel, Martin Demichelis, Luca Toni and Andreas Görlitz.