On Monday, the German Football League (DFL) published the exact schedule for Bundesliga Matchdays 15 to 17. The finalised fixtures see Bayern travel to face Werder Bremen on Saturday 7 December. The champions are at home to Hamburger SV at the Allianz Arena a week later. Both games kick off at 3:30 pm CET. The final match of the first half of the season, the South German derby away to VfB Stuttgart, has been rearranged due to Bayern’s involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco. The trip to VfB will now take place at 8 pm CET on Wednesday 29 January 2014.
Kroos doubtful for Sweden clash
FCB star Toni Kroos is rated doubtful for Germany’s final World Cup qualifier away to Sweden on Tuesday evening. On the day prior to the match in the Stockholm suburb of Solna against the Scandinavian side, who will finish second in the group behind Germany, the Bayern midfielder was struggling to shake off a cold. Coach Joachim Löw said he would wait until the final pre-match training session on Monday before taking a decision on Kroos‘ fitness. If Toni is ruled out, Mario Götze could come into the starting line-up. “He remains an option for both. He might play from the start, but it could be that I bring him on in the course of the match,” commented Löw: “He doesn’t have the fitness for a full 90 minutes.”
Badstuber starts sports rehab in Donaustauf
Holger Badstuber has taken the next small step towards a comeback. Bayern’s 24-year-old Germany international defender, who ruptured a cruciate ligament in early December 2012 and then suffered a so-called re-rupture in May this year, returned to Germany last Thursday from Vail, Colorado, where specialist Dr Richard Steadman surgically implanted a new cruciate. Over the next few days, Holger will commence a course of post-operative treatment and will set out on an extensive sports rehab programme. In close and ongoing liaison with FCB chief medical officer Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt and the Bayern physiotherapy team, Badstuber will be based in Donaustauf with Klaus Eder (60), the Germany national team physiotherapist. According to Badstuber, the location away from Munich will allow him to focus 100 percent and in complete peace on a full rehabilitation. No date has been set for the player’s return to footballing action.
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