Created on 12-03-2012 at 00:00 AM
Some 32 hours prior to kick-off, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Heiko Vogel crossed paths in the Allianz Arena media centre. The two old acquaintances shook hands, swapped a few words, grinned, and stared into each other's eyes. “Back then, we used to play two-against-two. We used to call him Paul Scholes because of his ginger hair," recalled Schweinsteiger, a former protégé of the Basel boss when he was a youth coach at Bayern.
As of 8.45 on Tuesday evening, Schweinsteiger and Vogel are opponents, “and tomorrow, there's no friendship," the player declared on Tuesday. “I'm well aware that Bastian would strengthen any team in the world," said the Basel coach, acknowledging the quality of his former pupil, described as Bayern's “playmaker and organiser” by home boss Jupp Heynckes. However, Bastian only recently resumed training some five weeks after damaging ankle ligaments, and the 27-year-old is by no means a confirmed starter against the Swiss champions. “We'll see how it is tomorrow," Heynckes commented..