Time for a breather on Monday. There was no training in Munich or Leipzig. Recovery was on the agenda in both camps two days ahead of the clash between the champions and runners-up in the second round of the DFB Cup. "We need to conserve all our energy," said sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic ahead of the start of "two difficult but interesting weeks" for FC Bayern.
FCB face Leipzig twice this week, first in the DFB Cup (Wednesday, 20.45 CET) and then in the Bundesliga (Saturday). Next week sees the Champions League encounter at the atmospheric Celtic Park Stadium (Tuesday) as well as the Bundesliga away game at Dortmund (Saturday). "Incredibly demanding" said Mats Hummels in describing the forthcoming challenges he's looking forward to: "They are exactly the games we love."
Use your head
The head-to-head encounters with the in-form Leipzig side require FCB to be wide-awake according to Hummels. "They've got an awful lot of quality, play a very intense game and very intensive counter pressing. We'll have to be on our toes and think very quickly. The most important thing is to be wide-awake from the start and aware the opposition will make life as difficult as possible."
The two teams are separated by just one point in the league. Bayern (20) lead the table level on points with Borussia Dortmund and Leipzig are in third place on 19. Both have achieved the maximum three wins since the international break. Leipzig won 3-2 at Dortmund as well as clocking up the first Champions League victory in the club's history (3-2 against Porto). "We’re on a run. The fans can expect a cracker," said RB striker Marcel Sabitzer ahead of Wednesday’s tie. Niklas Süle said: "The fans can look forward to it. It will be a great game."
Topics of this article