“Never change a winning team,” runs the old football cliché, and Bayern coach Louis van Gaal indicated on Tuesday he was likely to heed the proverbial wisdom for the second meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt in the space of four days. “I think that's what I'll do, but it also depends on the final pre-match training session,” the Dutch boss announced.
“Too many changes is never good. I've frequently been forced to make changes this season due to the high number of injuries,“ the coach recalled in the build-up to Wednesday evening's DFB Cup Round of 16 clash with Eintracht in front of a capacity crowd at the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt. Saturday's Bundesliga meeting in Munich ended in a 2-1 victory for the Bavarians.
Arjen Robben, who made a second-half comeback in that match just three weeks after knee surgery, and slotted home a crucial equaliser, again looks set to start on the bench. “He's playing again incredibly soon after his operation, but what Robben needs now is to train and slowly build up his minutes on the field,” explained Van Gaal. That suggests Bayern will once again line up in a 4-4-2 formation in Frankfurt.
Coach praises Gomez
Van Gaal dismissed the thought of beginning with the front two for the closing stages last Saturday, when Luca Toni was partnered by Mario Gomez. “You can't start the two of them together. I don't really like a long-ball game. It's not my style, and I don't think it's Bayern's either,” the coach opined.
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