Snow? The Bayern squad were rubbing their eyes in shock on Friday when they looked out the window for the first time. Three days out from May, and the training pitches at Säbener Straße were under a white cover. Flakes fell from the sky the entire morning – winter was back. It was a reminder of a stage of the season that FCB would gladly return to. “It’s a tough time for us. We’re not happy,” said Carlo Ancelotti. “We were close to the semi-finals of the Champions League and the final of the DFB Cup. Small details were key, but that’s football. Now we have to win the Bundesliga quickly.”
The Bayern head coach has turned his attention to the future with the penultimate away game of the campaign against VfL Wolfsburg coming up on Saturday (18:30 CEST, coverage available via our live ticker and web radio). Up against the 14th-placed Wolves, it’s about “showing a reaction,” according to Ancelotti. “We have to be dedicated. We have to do our job and pick up points – that’s the most important thing.”
Title in sight
With a bit of luck, Saturday evening will bring the best possible comfort to Bayern souls: The Bundesliga title. Should Leipzig fail to beat Ingolstadt during the afternoon, then a win for Bayern in the evening at Wolfsburg will secure a 27th German league title for FC Bayern. If RBL win, then a victory for the record champions will give them the chance to wrap up the league at the Allianz Arena the following week.
The majority of the team is in “a good physical condition,” reported Ancelotti. Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and David Alaba have however had slight problems after the cup game, and they remain a doubt for the fixture at Wolfsburg. One certainty remains the absence of Manuel Neuer with a foot fracture.
Jonker reunion
Over in Wolfsburg, their coach Andries Jonker is hugely looking forward to the game against FCB. “It’s a special game for me, of course. But just a normal one for the team and the club,” said the 54-year-old, who was with the record champions from 2009 to 2012. He was originally assistant to Louis van Gaal, then caretaker coach and finally in charge of the reserves. He has been the head coach at Wolfsburg since February.
“We have to be brave and attack Bayern, play football and be clinical,” explained Jonker, who was inside the Allianz Arena on Wednesday to watch the cup game between FCB and Dortmund. “The fact is that Bayern could have won their recent games. They’re as good as ever.”
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