Bayern to maintain winning streak
CHAMPIONS Bayern Munich return to Bundesliga action with a home match against Ingolstadt tomorrow while Cologne have the chance to scratch a 20year itch today.
New coach Carlo Ancelotti has seen his Bayern charges maintain a 100% record so far and they outclassed Rostov 5-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Youngster Joshua Kimmich (pix) is emerging as a star having added the scoring touch to his impressive performances with a brace against Rostov following a Bundesliga strike against Schalke.
“People always said to me that as soon as I get the first one, the rest will follow,” Kimmich said while Ancelotti praised him as a player who “can fill every position.”
Ingolstadt have taken just one point from their opening two games but hope to spring a surprise against their Bavarian neighbours.
“We know that we need a perfect day to take something from them,” coach Markus Kauczinski said. “We’re striving for this perfect day.”
The football weekend in Germany begins today when Cologne welcome Freiburg with the hosts knowing a win would take them to seven points and the top of the table, for 24 hours, for the first time since August 1996.
Goalkeeper Timo Horn could boost that bid as he returns from injury after going through a training session without problems.
“I am feeling no more pain so I think it looks good,” he told the club homepage.
Borussia Dortmund bounced back from last week’s loss at RB Leipzig with a 6-0 Champions League romp at Legia Warsaw as their expensively assembled squad clicked perfectly yesterday and will look to carry that form into a home match with Darmstadt.
“A big, big compliment to the team. We played with a lot of belief and a lot of courage, but we also produced an energetic performance,” delighted coach Thomas Tuchel said.
“I am delighted that we had such a presence about us and that we were able to pick up such a result.”
Leipzig will look to maintain their unbeaten start to the top-flight away to SV Hamburg, who already look destined to another campaign of struggle with just one point from two games.
“We have already played well in phases but not consistently enough,” chairman and sport director Dietmar Beiersdorfer said. “That’s why we have only one point till now.”
Hoffenheim host Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen head to Eintracht Frankfurt in the other tomorrow afternoon kick-offs before Borussia Moenchengladbach take on Werder Bremen in the late game.
Gladbach will be looking to recover from a 4-0 Champions League thrashing at Manchester City but bottom club Bremen are also not without their problems to seek as pressure already mounts on coach Viktor Skripnik after two losses.
“We won’t get carried away despite the tough situation we’re in, we’ll continue to work,”
Skripnik insisted while captain Clemens Fritz has promised: “We’ve picked ourselves up in the past and we’ll do it again.”
Mainz and Schalke both play on Sunday after Europa League action with away fixtures at Augsburg and Hertha Berlin respectively. – dpa
GUNNERS boss Arsene Wenger has promised Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina, 28, he will remain in goal for Champions League matches in order to keep him at the club.
ARSENAL’S 34-year-old first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech (caricature) is happy with the agreement to let Ospina play in European games ahead of him.