FC Bayern will only be without Mehdi Benatia due to suspension for a single Champions League match. The defender was red-carded for a foul as last man in Tuesday’s Group E meeting with Manchester City but UEFA have restricted the Morocco centre-back’s ban to a single game in the competition. Benatia will sit out FCB’s home fixture against CSKA Moscow on 10 December.
Pizarro at work on day off
Pep Guardiola awarded his men a day off following the squad’s return from Manchester on Wednesday afternoon. The Säbener Strasse practice ground was correspondingly deserted on Thursday, with the exception of a brief appearance in the morning by Claudio Pizarro. The Peruvian continued his recovery from a pulled muscle with a session focused on running, under the watchful eye of fitness coach Thomas Wilhelmi.
FIFA World XI: Three FCB defenders nominated
Three FC Bayern men are among the 20 defenders named as candidates for the FIFA World Team of the Year 2014. The shortlist released on Thursday features the names of World Cup winning duo Philipp Lahm and Jerome Boateng and their FCB team-mate David Alaba. The international players’ association FIFPro and FIFA organise the annual poll for the FIFA FIFPro World XI. The official world team of the year will be unveiled on 12 January 2015 at the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala in Zurich, the event at which the World Player of the Year is also announced.
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