by Dan Gaichas
The 54th season of the German Bundesliga gets underway on Friday as four-time defending champions Bayern Munich take on Werder Bremen. Bayern are coming off a comprehensive 5-0 win over FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the DFB Pokal First Round while Bremen are coming off a shock defeat in the Pokal to Sportfreunde Lotte of 3. Liga. Bremen finished 13th last season and will be without Max Kruse who damaged ligaments against Lotte, last week.
Arjen Robben, Holger Badstubber, Kingsley Coman, Douglas Costa, and Jerome Boateng will all miss the match mostly for precautionary reasons as they all regain fitness. Renato Sanches’s recovery is ahead of schedule and could see at least the bench on Friday.
Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer is looking forward to the season opener and both he and David Alaba are aware that Bremen will not make things easy for the Bavarians.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming challenges,” said Neuer to the club website. “We start again from scratch, we have to do it all over again. There will be no presents,” warned Neuer.
“Bremen will hit the gas, particularly after their cup disappointment,” said Alaba. Besides, “they’re at the Allianz Arena and want to step up their game against us. We have to be prepared for it. We have to put up a fight.”
The match will be televised on FS1 at 1:30pm Central Time.
In other news, Bayern Munich have been drawn to Group D of the UEFA Champions League with Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindoven, and newcomers Rostov of Russia. Of course, Atletico defeated Bayern on away goals in last year’s semifinal. PSV are the Dutch champions and last played Bayern in 1999 in the group stages of the Champions League each side winning at home 2-1. PSV won the European Cup in 1988 completing a treble that season. They fell to Atletico on penalties last season in the Round of 16. Rostov will be making their first ever foray into the Champions League after finishing second last season in the Russian Premier League. They knocked off Ajax 5-2 on aggregate in the Playoff Round.
“It’s a tough group, we have to watch out,” said Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti. “Atlético knocked out FC Bayern last season, Rostov impressed me with their clear-cut victory over Ajax and Eindhoven only fell to Atlético on penalties. This group isn’t easy.”
Bayern have made the semifinal stage at least each of the last four seasons in the Champions League.
Bayern will find out who their opponents in the Second Round of the DFB Pokal after their match on Friday with Bremen (1:30pm CT, FS1).
