Jan Schlaudraff, a former Germany international widely admired for his elegant and inventive football, only spent a single season with Bayern, but he regards it as an important one. “I'm grateful for the experience," said the Hannover forward, who never emerged from the second string at FCB in 2007/08, but still came away with winner’s medals from the Bundesliga and DFB Cup. “I'm afraid we didn't see the best of Jan Schlaudraff," commented Karl-Heinz Rummenigge at the time, after the player opted for a switch to his current club, who visit the Allianz Arena on Saturday. Schlaudraff is now 29 and thoroughly settled with the Lower Saxony outfit. In the build-up to the Bundesliga clash with Munich, he spoke to FCB journal Bayern Magazin.
Interview: Jan Schlaudraff
Bayern Magazin: Jan, games involving Hannover are often spectacular. Can you promise more of the same when you visit Bayern?
Jan Schlaudraff: Yes, we've had some very interesting games in recent weeks, but we’ll try and keep the spectacular stuff to a minimum in Munich. We're rank outsiders, and it'll have to be our best day ever, especially in defence, if we’re to contain Bayern's outstanding attack. And we'll have to try and hit them on the break from time to time.
Hannover won their last two home games against FCB, but you've not taken a point at the Allianz Arena since 2008. Are you still looking forward to your return?
Of course. It's a highlight of the season for every player when you play in the fantastic arena in Munich. We'll see if we can summon up a 110 percent performance, and hope Bayern perhaps have an off day. If so, we might come away with something.
Topics of this article