Preview: Pep Guardiola wary of a Bayern upset
FC Bayern barely have enough players to compete for spots in the lineup. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Claudio Pizarro, Xherdan Shaqiri, Franck Ribery and Holger Badstuber are out for this one. In midweek, Philipp Lahm added himself to the injury list when he hurt his thigh. He has been ruled out for the next two matches at least. Bayern made little work of CSKA Moskva in midweek.
They put three past the Russians in a clinical display. The defense did not have a good day but Manuel Neuer did. Keisuke Honda had a few chances to score but did not take them. Eventually, a handball by Dante resulted in a rather harsh penalty decision. Honda halved the deficit from the spot; Arjen Robben and Mario Götze had earlier given Bayern a 0-2 lead. A few minutes after Honda’s penalty, Robben earned Bayern a penalty at the opposite end which Thomas Müller converted.
This week, Bayern is obviously weary going into the clash. Previously, in top vs. bottom clashes, Bayern have lost to Cottbus (2007-08, 2000-01), Wolfsburg (2006-07) and Nürnberg (1968-69). In 82 clashes between the top and bottom sides in the Bundesliga, the bottom side has actually prevailed on 11 occasions. Braunschweig has beaten Wolfsburg this season as well as Bayer Leverkusen.
Torsten Lieberknecht will have to do without his captain Dennis Kruppke who is out with a calf problem. Jan Hochscheidt is also out with a thigh problem while Ken Reichel has a knee problem. Braunschweig have not beaten Bayern in 18 previous meetings in Bavaria. Their coach knows very well about the Herculean task which faces his side. He told Bayern’s official website about the almost insurmountable challenge facing him and about how he is not prepared to wave the white flag:
“They (Bayern) have no weaknesses. They have a solution to every situation.
We’re not running up the white flag, but we have to be realistic. It definitely won’t be a pleasant day out on Saturday.”
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch FC Bayern München vs Eintracht Braunschweig live on Saturday, November 30, 2013:
In Canada at 09:30 ET on GolTV Canada
In the USA at 09:30 ET on Gol TV USA
German viewers can switch on Sky Bundesliga HD 1 to watch the match among other networks.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Bayern-Braunschweig match page.
