Wednesday
April 21, 2010
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F
RESH
from squeezing past Man-
chester United in the quarterfinal,
Bayern Munich are cautiously
confident ahead of today’s semi-
final, first leg, Champions League clash
against Lyon.
But despite being near full strength
and thrashing Hanover 7-0 on Saturday
in the Bundesliga, plus Lyon having to
travel 750km by bus because of volcanic
ash grounding most European flights, the
Germans are still cautious.
“We shouldn’t underestimate Lyon,
whatever we do,” Bayern chairman Karl-
Heinz Rummenigge said. “This team saw
off Liverpool in the group phase and Real
Madrid in the last 16.”
Bayern’s French mid-
fielder Franck Ribery,
who coach Louis van
Gaal is con- f i d e n t
will play despite injury concerns, said his
compatriots would be no walk in the park
to beat.
“It will be very difficult against Lyon
because they have a very good team. We
shouldn’t allow ourselves to think about
the final,” said Ribery, who has been
linked to European giants Real Madrid
and Barcelona this season.
Lyon are “very well organised, very ag-
gressive and physically very strong,” van
Gaal agreed. “They have players who are
quick to counter-attack, all their players
are strong dribblers. It’s always hard to
play against teams like that.”
Bayernwill alsobewithout captainMark
van Bommel and defender Holger Badstu-
ber, whose form this season has taken him
to the verge of the Germany team, both
suspended
after pick-
ing up yellow cards. But the
two aces in van Gaal’s pack are
Arjen Robben, fresh from his
hattrick against Hanover, and
striker Ivica Olic also scored
two on Saturday. Both scored
at Old Trafford to stun Sir Alex
Ferguson’s United in their fate-
ful second leg quarterfinal.
Lyon have problems of their
own getting to Munich with can-
celled flights across Europe due
to Iceland’s volcanic ash cloud
meaning the French had to endure
a bus trip to Bavaria via Zurich.
“It’ll be a total of 10 hours on
the bus, which is hard,” said Lyon
captain Cris. “But there’s no choice
and we have to accept it.”
But midfielder Jeremy Toulalan
says Lyon might be good for another
surprise.
“Sometimes a team goes all the way
even when no one thinks they will.
Porto has done it before. Maybe it’s
our turn now.” – AFP
Liverpool
forward Dirk
Kuyt is tackled
by West
Ham United
defender Julien
Faubert during
their English
Premier
League match
at Anfield
yesterday.
Cautious
Germans