Preview: Can Bayern make a necessary addition to their trophy cabinet?
The Bavarians have not had success in the Club World Cup (they however won the Intercontinental Cup in 1976 and 2001) and will want to win it under Pep Guardiola. Franck Ribery did not start the match at the weekend against Hamburger SV and will be looking to return to the starting lineup for this one. For Bayern, Holger Badstuber, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben will take no part in this tournament. Youngsters such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Julian Green and Mitchell Weiser have been included.
Guangzhou have come a long way in recent years. They won the C-League for a third straight season and capped it all off with a win in the AFC Champions League Final over FC Seoul this season. Their coach, Marcello Lippi, is as ever, a shrewd tactician. In 2006, he was coach of the Italy side which famously knocked Germany out of the World Cup in Dortmund.
Lippi knows this Bayern side is not to be scoffed at. He has never played them in his career. This is what he had to say to FIFA’s official website, with a reference to his Juventus side:
“I just know that at the moment Bayern are the strongest team in the world. And I don't know if my Juventus side was the best team in the world at that time."
Bayern’s captain, Philipp Lahm, also presented his thoughts about the match-up and the tournament itself as noted by FIFA’s official website. He spoke about being careful coming into this one as well as how the tournament is regarded in Germany. Most of all, Lahm displayed an inner ambition to add to his side’s trophy haul:
“We’ll be well prepared (against Guangzhou). We played Pilsen in the UEFA Champions League and weren’t really sure what to expect. Our coaching staff will make sure we’re ready for every opponent.
The Champions League is very highly regarded in Europe but, on other continents, the Club World Cup is an important competition. It’s definitely a tournament we can win, and one we can’t expect to win every year. You have to win the Champions League in order to take part. The tournament is watched on every continent, so it’s very important for FC Bayern as a club.
It’s (The FIFA Club World Cup) very important – it’s not every day you get to play in a tournament like that. It’s my first time and I definitely want to win the competition.”
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels
Watch Guangzhou Evergrande vs Bayern München live on Tuesday, December 17, 2013:
In the USA at 14:30 ET on Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Sports 1 and FOX Deportes
Internationally on FIFA.com
In Germany, viewers can tune into Das Erste HD to watch the match while in China, the match will be brought to viewers by CCTV-5 amongst other networks.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Guangzhou-Bayern match page.
