Rudy, Suele up against former club in Hoffenheim

BAYERN MUNICH visit Hoffenheim in a first major test ahead of their Champions League opener as the Bundesliga resumes after the international break.

Bayern will be without leftback David Alaba who suffered an ankle problem on Austria duty but their Germany midfielder Sebastian Rudy will be fit to play after a scare in Monday’s 6-0 against Norway.

Rudy as well as defender Niklas Suele left Hoffenheim for Munich in summer, and now return to the Sinsheim arena where they helped Hoffenheim get their first-ever league win over Bayern last season.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side would like to repeat the feat even though they have lost key players in summer and have forwards Serge Gnabry and Adam Szalai sidelined.

“We can beat anyone in the Bundesliga, we showed that last year. Now we thankfully had the international break to get a breather before Bayern come,” forward Mark Uth told magazine.

Rudy named the game against his former club “very special” and warned that Hoffenheim have “a super team” that has started well into the season.

Hoffenheim have four points from two games to rank fifth – with Borussia Dortmund, Bayern, Hamburg and Hanover ahead of them on a maximum six each.

Dortmund visit Freiburg tomorrow ahead of their Champions League start at Wembley against Tottenham.

Hamburg want to continue their best start in seven years and also have an inform man up front in Bobby Wood against Leipzig.

The other weekend games are Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Eintracht Frankfurt, Augsburg vs Cologne, Mainz vs Bayer leverkusen, Wolfsburg vs Hanover, Hertha Berlin vs bottom side Werder Bremen and Schalke vs VfB Stuttgart. – dpa Kicker sports