BREMEN HOPE TO STOP JUGGERNAUT
BERLIN – Bayern Munich kick off the 2016/2017 German Bundesliga season at home to Werder Bremen today with their rivals out to stop them winning a fifth straight Bundesliga title.
Germany defender Mats Hummels and burly Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches have been Bayern’s only off-season signings, but it’s all change behind the scenes at the Munich giants.
Against Bremen, new coach Carlo Ancelotti will be in charge of his first game at the Allianz Arena as he becomes the fourth Italian to coach in the Bundesliga after Giovanni Trapattoni, Nevio Scala and Roberto Di Matteo.
“Our priority is to win the league,” Ancelotti said when he first took over from Pep Guardiola.
“We’re looking forward to the start of the season and we’re ready for the first game against Bremen.”
Bayern are without a sporting director since Matthias Sammer quit with health problems at the end of the season.
Security has been stepped up for the season opener in Munich amid terror fears in Germany. Nothing short of three points will be acceptable for the champions who made history last season by becoming the first club to win four consecutive German league titles.
Bremen are without Germany striker Max Kruse, who injured his knee in their shock German Cup defeat to third-division Sportfreunde Lotte last Sunday. Kruse has undergone an operation and will be out for the foreseeable future.
“It’s a real blow because it looks like we’re going to be without a key player for a good while,” coach Viktor Skripnik told the club’s website.
However Bremen, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, hope to have ex-Bayern striker and Peru veteran Claudio Pizarro, back from a thigh injury.
New-look Borussia Dortmund, who finished second to Bayern last season, open their campaign at home to Mainz tomorrow.
Having signed Germany and former Bayern striker Mario Gomez from Fiorentina, Wolfsburg open their campaign at Augsburg, who have former Darmstadt coach Dirk Schuster in charge this season. –