International: Löw rests Neuer and Müller

The German national team will contest their two last internationals before the summer break with as few Munich men as rarely before. Head coach Joachim Löw spared Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller when naming the squad on Tuesday. Only DFB captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jérôme Boateng and Mario Götze are part of the 20-man squad for the friendly match against the US (Cologne, 10 June) and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar (Faro, 13 June).

Neuer misses out for medical reasons, reported Löw. “Manu is an inspiring example in terms of commitment. Everyone knows that he is one of the players who always want to be on the pitch,” continued the DFB coach. However, Neuer cannot “train or play without pain at the moment. The long season has left marks. He's picked up a number of knocks which have to be dealt with in the coming weeks. We need Manu in the crucial qualifiers in the autumn. He has to be available and perfectly fit by then, and he will be.”

Müller, who has played 62 fixtures for Bayern and the DFB team since the 2014 World Cup, has earned himself “a breather. I made this decision in the light of the season to come, finishing with the European Championship in France in the summer of 2016,” said Löw.

Pizarro headed to the Copa America

Five more FCB pros are still on duty. fcbayern.de lists the players for the end of season internationals:

Robert Lewandowski
The Bayern striker is in the Polish line-up. The White Eagles have a qualifier against Georgia in Warsaw on 13 June, followed by a friendly against Greece in Gdansk three days later on 16 June.

Mehdi Benatia
The central defender and his Morocco team-mates start qualification for the 2017 African Cup of Nations: the first opponents are Libya in Agadir on 12 June. The other opponents are Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe. The group winners as well as the two best runner-up teams qualify for the 2017 tournament in Gabon.

Claudio Pizarro
The Copa America (11 June to 4 July) is on the Bayern forward's schedule this summer. Pizza and the Peruvians will encounter Mexico in a final warm-up match in Lima on 3 June before they head to Chile for the South American championship. Their opponents will be Brazil, Columbia and Venezuela. The table toppers, the runners-up as well as the two best third-ranked teams of the group stage go through to the quarter-finals.

Juan Bernat
The Spain squad with Juan Bernat have a friendly against Costa Rica (Madrid, 11 June) before a qualifier against Belarus (Barysaw, 14 June).

Gianluca Gaudino, Marco Hingerl
The European championship title defence is the big goal of the Germany U-19s. Coach Marcus Sorg has called up two Bayern players for his squad: youngster Gianluca Gaudini and FCB under-19 captain Marco Hingerl. Both will attend a training camp with the DFB squad in Grassau (1-5 June). The European finals in Greece are on their schedule from 6 to 19 July.

Robben Delivers Shield to FC Bayern Erlebniswelt

The championship shield was presented to Philipp Lahm on Saturday, and borne aloft to Munich Town Hall balcony by Sebastian Rode on Sunday. And on the spring Bank Holiday Monday, it was Arjen Robben who delivered the Meisterschale to the FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, watched by a cheering crowd of 1,000 thrilled fans. “It’s the most honest trophy. It’s what you fight for and work towards every day,” said the Dutch ace, “huge credit to the team. We’ve done very well and it’s been another highly successful season.”

Robben, who missed the run-in to the climax of the season with two torn muscles, spent the morning at the Säbener Strasse working towards his comeback before collecting the shield and travelling to the Allianz Arena. The “surprise guest” was given a frenetic welcome by the large crowd, many of them kids. After a brief question and answer session Robben deposited the trophy in its allotted display cabinet and busily signed autographs.

Robben still training

“It makes no difference whether you win one, two or even more trophies. It’s always special and something you have to enjoy,” said the 31-year-old, who unlike the vast majority of his team-mates has not immediately gone on vacation. “I’m going to keep training for a couple more days so I set off on holiday more or less fit and ready to get stuck in 100 percent next season.”

Reaction to Bayern vs Mainz

Bayern secured their 25th German championship 27 days ago, but at twenty to six on Saturday evening Philipp Lahm actually took delivery of the prestigious trophy. “It’s still very special indeed,” said Lahm, “and it can never be taken for granted. A lot of work goes into it.” Pep Guardiola congratulated “the team, my staff and our fans.” The coach ended with a promise: “We’ll be back even stronger next season.”

Reaction to Bayern v Mainz

Pep Guardiola: “Congratulations to the team, my staff and our fans. They’ve supported us brilliantly, especially against Barcelona. We’ll be back even stronger next season with the best-possible squad. We always have to keep going.”

Bastian Schweinsteiger: “It’s been a very good season. We’ve won the league for the third time in a row, which doesn’t just happen automatically. It’s the first time for me in fact. In the Champions League we lost it in the last ten minutes against Barcelona, otherwise we might have made the final in that competition too. We know how it unfolded in the cup. We were close to making both finals. Taking into account all the injuries, we’ve done very well overall.”

Philipp Lahm: “It’s still very special indeed when you’re top of the pile after 34 matches. It can never be taken for granted. A lot of work goes into it. The team deserves it.”

7 Fakta Menarik Untuk Kejuaraan Kali Ini

FC Bayern rounded off the season that brought a 25th German championship with a 2-0 home win over FSV Mainz. Let's reviews another campaign featuring records aplenty.

Seven title facts

4 - Bayern have sealed the title three times in a row for the fourth time after previous hat-tricks in 1972-74, 1985-87 and 1999-2001.

11 – An 11-point lead at the halfway mark of the season beats the previous best midpoint margin by a single point.

18 - Only 18 goals conceded in 34 matches equals FCB’s own defensive record from the 2012/13 season.

20 - Manuel Neuer’s 20 clean sheets this term is a record for a Bundesliga keeper, beating the 19 achieved by Oliver Kahn in 2001/02.

22 – Overall, Bayern let in no goals in 22 of their Bundesliga fixtures this term, beating their own record of 21 clean sheets from 2012/13.

30 – This season’s triumph was the third-fastest in the 52-year history of the modern German top flight, as Pep Guardiola and his men sealed the crown on Matchday 30. The league has only been won at an earlier point in the schedule in 2013 (Matchday 28) and 2014 (Matchday 27), both times by Bayern.

79 – Since the introduction of three points for a win in 1995/96, the eventual champions have only beaten Bayern’s total of 79 points this season on three occasions.

Schweinsteiger Passes 500-Match Milestone

Flowers from the board, a choreographed mosaic in his honour from the South terrace and a standing ovation from the crowd: the Bundesliga home fixture against FSV Mainz was no ordinary encounter for Bastian Schweinsteiger. This season's final match against the team from Rhine-Hesse was Schweinsteiger's 500th appearance as a pro for the German record champions.

The midfielder made his debut as an 18-year-old emerging talent in November 2002, coming on for Mehmet Scholl in the 76th minute of a 3-3 draw with RC Lens in that season’s last Champions League group match. Twelve and a half years with 499 more matches and 20 (!) titles in total were to follow: eight German championship titles, seven DFB Cup triumphs, two DFL Super Cup victories and international trophies in the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

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In the all-time FC Bayern table the 30-year-old vice-captain ranks eighth, a position he also holds in the ranking of the FCB pros with the most Bundesliga appearances. Schweinsteiger is second only to Oliver Kahn (130) with 103 European matches. He is the current joint record holder of all active players in the DFB Cup with 49 outings (two for FC Bayern II), together with Claudio Pizarro.

Schweinsteiger has his place in FC Bayern history as a scorer too. On Matchday 28 of the 2013 treble season (1-0 away to Frankfurt) as well as on Matchday 30 in the current season (1-0 against Hertha BSC) he scored the title-clinching goals for the Reds.

Schweinsteiger's senior appearances

Bundesliga	342
DFB Cup	47
Champions League	89
Champions League qualifying	2
UEFA Cup	12
League Cup	6
German Super Cup	2
Total	500

The German Championship Sheild

It is the moment all Bayern fans are looking forward to, when Philipp Lahm officially receives the Meisterschale, the German championship shield, from DFL president Dr Reinhard Rauball after the match against FSV Mainz. The task is not to be taken lightly – literally, as the shield is the heaviest trophy in German football.

The names of all German champions since 1903 are engraved on the trophy, with FC Bayern now appearing 25 times. The championship shield has been used since 1949 as a replacement for the Viktoria, the trophy that went missing in the Second World War. The shield was designed by Professor Elisabeth Treskow and her students at Kölner Werkschulen, a series of arts colleges in Cologne. It was made from 5.5kg of Sterling silver and decorated with five large and eleven small tourmalines (175 carats in total).

By 1981 there was no space left, so gold and silversmith Adolf Kunesch from Rodenbach widened the trophy by nine centimetres with an additional silver ring incorporating five tourmaline cabochons (71.98 carats) in a gold setting. As the initial expansion would have only sufficed until 2011, Kunesch replaced the five gravure panels with bigger ones in 2009. There is now enough space for new club names until approximately 2026.

Since the remodelling, the “salad bowl” as it is sometimes referred to in jest weighs a hefty 11kg and has a diameter of 59 centimetres. Its nominal insurance value is €50,000 but its real value is considerably greater.

Recent Times: Records and Party Animal

FC Bayern have won the German championship for the 25th time. To mark the milestone achievement, looks back at the club's 25 domestic title triumphs and the associated facts, anecdotes and legends. In the build-up to a weekend of celebrations, we review five past successes every day from Monday to Friday. Part 5 features 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

2008

FC Bayern rocked the league with new signings Luca Toni and Franck Ribéry. The team coached by Ottmar Hitzfeld once again topped the table from start to finish. FCB wrapped up the title with a scoreless draw away to Wolfsburg on Matchday 31. The Reds finished ten points clear of runners-up Werder Bremen. Bayern striker Luca Toni, responsible for 24 of 68 Bayern goals, finished as leading scorer. The FCB defence set a new record with only 21 goals conceded, a worthy farewell gift for keeper Oliver Kahn who ended his career.

2010

Two Dutchmen, Louis van Gaal and Arjen Robben, were two new and crucial personalities in a season of ups and downs for the Reds. On Matchday 24 the Munich men topped the standings for the first time in some 18 months, eventually finishing five points ahead of Schalke. Van Gaal was the first Dutch coach to win the German championship; later in the season he even brought home the DFB Cup. The Reds almost won the treble too, but Inter Milan beat them 2-0 in the Champions League final. The presentation on Munich Town Hall balcony was truly unforgettable: Lederhosen-clad, self-confessed party animal Louis van Gaal showed a bit of leg to the cheering crowds.

2013

A season of superlatives! FCB wrapped up the championship with a new record of 91 points, 91 goals scored and only 18 conceded. The Reds finished 25 points clear of deposed title holders Borussia Dortmund and were unbeaten for a fantastic 25 matches in a row. Player of the Year Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the title winner in Frankfurt (1-0) on Matchday 28 – the earliest confirmed title triumph ever! But Jupp Heynckes' lads were not done yet: they won the Champions League and the DFB Cup too, becoming the first German team to win the treble.

2014

After the previous season of records, FC Bayern under new coach Pep Guardiola topped even their own achievement. After 27 matches unbeaten, of which the Reds won 25, FCB wrapped up the championship again, this time with a 3-1 victory away to Hertha BSC. They were the earliest German champions of all time, on 25 March, Matchday 27. The team won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup too. The only “problem” occurred during the championship party, of all things: the championship shield slid out of Guardiola's wet hands after an unfamiliar beer shower. “It's not only very, very beautiful, but also very heavy,” commented the Bayern coach.

2015

Champions without playing: for the first time since 1989, Bayern clinched the title with the players at home in front of the TV. It was decided on Matchday 30: First the  men from Munich won their home game against Hertha 1-0. On the following day runners-up Wolfsburg lost away to Mönchengladbach in a 1-0 reverse, so uncatchable Bayern sealed a third championship title in a row. It was the third-fastest title win in the Bundesliga history (along with 1972-73 and 2002-03) and the fourth time FCB achieved a title hat-trick (2013/14/15). Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the decisive goal against Hertha and became a record champion: the vice-captain has amassed 15 domestic trophies (championship and cup). No Bayern pro had achieved that before. Only keeper legend Oliver Kahn and former schemer Mehmet Scholl have also won eight championships.

Champions 25 Times

FC Bayern have won the German championship for the 25th time. To mark the milestone achievement, let's we looks back at the club's 25 domestic title triumphs and the associated facts, anecdotes and legends. In the build-up to a weekend of celebrations, we review five past successes every day. Part 4 features 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006.

2000

What a finish! On the last matchday Leverkusen played away to Unterhaching with a three-point edge over FC Bayern, but Bayer spectacularly lost a 2-0 heartbreaker in the south of Munich. Meanwhile the Reds entertained Bremen in a thrilling clash 14 kilometres further north at the Olympiastadion, clinching the championship title with a 3-1 victory: the goal difference was decisive (+7 compared to Leverkusen). Of course FCB invited the heroes of Haching on the fly to the championship party in the evening. Oliver Kahn had another reason to celebrate: he was elected Footballer of the Year.

2001

A furious finale started on Matchday 33: table-toppers Schalke lost away to Stuttgart in a 1-0 reverse, FC Bayern won 2-1 against Kaiserslautern with a last-minute winner by Alex Zickler. The Munich men played away to Hamburg with a three-point edge over S04 on the last matchday; Schalke, having a better goal difference than FCB, hosted Unterhaching. Schalke won their game 5-3, FCB conceded a goal by Sergej Barbarez in the 90th minute: 1-0. The Royal Blues celebrated, Oliver Kahn asked the official in Hamburg: “How much longer?” – “Three minutes,” said Markus Merk. Kahn screamed at his team-mates, spurring them on: “Three minutes! Go! Three minutes!” Then, in the fourth minute of extra time, HSV keeper Schober handled a back-pass. Bayern were awarded an indirect free-kick – and Patrik Andersson netted the ball, scoring the equaliser! Ottmar Hitzfeld was the first Bayern coach after Udo Lattek to wrap up the third championship title in a row. A few days later the Reds clinched a long-awaited Champions League triumph too: 5-4 after a penalty shootout against Valencia.

2003

The Reds wanted to wrap up the championship title with their new signings Michael Ballack, Sebastian Deisler and Zé Roberto. It worked – and how! Bayern thrilled the league as the white ballet, topping the table on Matchday 4. Bayern, finishing the season with a 16-point lead, were confirmed champions as early as Matchday 30 – they had only previously achieved it that early back in 1973. Giovane Elber finished leading scorer on 21 goals together with Bochum striker Thomas Christiansen.

2005

A culture shock for Bayern! At the beginning of the season Felix Magath took over Ottmar Hitzfeld's team – and he was a completely different kind of coach. He moulded a compact team in shipshape condition, fighting out a head-to-head with Schalke 04 for a long time. The Royal Blues took over at the top of the stadnings for a short time after a 1-0 victory over Bayern on Matchday 25. Thanks to a furious run of nine wins in a row FCB wrapped up their 19th championship title 14 points clear of Schalke in the end. It is remembered as the medicine ball championship after Magath’s punishing fitness routines.

2006

Once again the championship was decided in Kaiserslautern – this time by a 1-1 draw on Matchday 33, with Andreas Ottl scoring for Bayern. In contrast to the year before the Reds could not celebrate their title on the spot. In the light of their imminent relegation the hosts at the Betzenberg had forbidden a hearty celebration, the Reds had to make do with water buckets for their 20th championship. FCB finished five points clear of runners-up Werder Bremen. As in the previous year, Felix Magath's team won the DFB Cup too. It was the first time ever for a team to clinch the double twice in a row. It was the 21st trophy won by Bixente Lizarazu and the crowning glory at the end of his career.

Alaba Hits the Gas

David Alaba appeared at the Säbener Strasse facility on Monday sporting a new haircut, a classic short back and sides. The FC Bayern left-back declined to take the official day off and completed a punishing extra workout instead under the supervision of fitness coach Thomas Wilhelmi. Alaba ruptured a ligament in his left knee wile on friendly duty for Austria in late March. The 22-year-old was able to resume jogging and running a week and a half ago.

Reaction to Freiburg vs Bayern

Although there was little at stake for Bayern away to Freiburg, the champions were annoyed after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat. “Freiburg wanted it more,” Pep Guardiola acknowledged, “it’s not been easy for us since winning the league.” SC coach Christian Streich admitted: “Luck was on our side today.”

Pep Guardiola: “Freiburg wanted it more and showed more fighting spirit in chasing the win. It’s not been easy for us since winning the league. We have one more match before we head off on holiday and into the future."

Jérôme Boateng: “We just have to play better football than we did today. We owe our fans an apology for that.”

Christian Streich (SC Freiburg coach): “We have great character in the team. We decided to play defensively because we saw no alternative. Luck was on our side today, no question about that, but we’ve been very unlucky so often this season. We’ve earned the win today.”

Jochen Saier (SC Freiburg sporting director): “From our point of view, today was the right point in time to beat Bayern again at last. Bayern took it seriously today, they fielded their best team. We were very, very good and focused in the second half. We now have a final in Hannover and we’ll have to be very well prepared.”

Champions Condemned to Last-Gasp Defeat

Bayern’s poor end-of-season run in the Bundesliga continued on Saturday with a 2-1 reverse against struggling SC Freiburg in the final away fixture of the campaign, former Munich man Nils Petersen striking a last-minute winner to all but secure his side’s top flight status and condemn the champions to a third straight league defeat.

The 24,000 capacity crowd at the compact Schwarzwald Stadion saw Bastian Schweinsteiger hand Pep Guardiola’s men a 13th-minute lead, but Swiss marksman Admir Mehmedi levelled 20 minutes later. Schweinsteiger hit the woodwork midway through the second half of an evenly-matched contest, but the minnows fought like lions and were rewarded with sub Petersen’s 89th-minute winner.

With just one game to go, the champions remain on 76 points, eight ahead of second-placed VfL Wolfsburg. The final match of 2014/15 is the 34th and last Bundesliga fixture at home to Mainz next Saturday afternoon, after which Philipp Lahm will receive the championship shield and the celebrations will begin in earnest.

Three new faces

Guardiola shuffled the deck for the second-to-last match of term and made three changes to the team that beat Barcelona 3-2 in midweek, with Sebastian Rode, Mario Götze and Mitch Weiser replacing Thiago, Thomas Müller and Lahm. The trio began on the bench alongside Javi Martinez, veteran striker Claudio Pizarro and reserve team keeper Ivan Lucic, deputising for the suspended Pepe Reina.

The visitors lined up with Manuel Neuer in goal, Rafinha, Jerome Boateng, Mehdi Benatia and Juan Bernat in defence, Xabi Alonso in the holding role, Rode and captain for the day Schweinsteiger in central midfield, and Weiser, Götze and Robert Lewandowski up front.

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Teams trade first-half goals

After referee Tobias Welz whistled play underway, it was clear the champions were taking the match as seriously as they had promised in the build-up, with Götze fashioning an early chance and Benatia heading home from a corner only to be penalised for a push. But the lead was not long in coming as Weiser cleverly broke into the box on the right and squared for Schweinsteiger to side-foot the 13th-minute opener past SCF keeper Roman Bürki.

Munich focused on control now against the busy home team but the Reds still created sporadic chances, Weiser having a shout for a penalty turned down and Boateng powering a header from a free-kick straight at Bürki. However, Christian Günther had signalled the battling home team’s intent with a long-range sighter and Freiburg drew level on 33 minutes when Mehmedi nicked the ball off Schweinsteiger’s toe on the edge of the FCB box and rifled an unstoppable 20-yard drive past Neuer. The sides cancelled each other out now with no clear-cut chances through to the half-time whistle.

FCB beaten at the death

The second half opened with Alonso lofting a free-kick into the crowd, before the Spaniard’s next set-play delivery found Götze at the back stick, Bürki making a good reflex stop to kick away the Germany man’s header. There was a controversial moment in front of Neuer on 56 minutes when Mehmedi tumbled in the box in a challenge with Rafinha, but Mr Welz waved play on and FCB were soon up the other end where another Alonso free-kick was deflected for a corner.

Guardiola opted for a change and introduced Müller for Alonso after 64 minutes, but the Reds were out of luck five minutes later when Schweinsteiger’s cunning free-kick clattered off the angle of bar and post and back into play.

The Germany captain now gave way to Lahm with Thiago replacing Rode in a complete switch at the heart of the Bayern midfield, and the Spaniard’s chip sent Götze clear only for the striker to flip his finish over the bar. Bürki safely gathered Bernat’s skidding drive and then saved brilliantly from Thiago’s wonderful volley, but it was former Red Petersen who struck the killer blow a minute from time with a side-footed finish from Karim Guedé’s defence-splitting pass.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

SC Freiburg - FC Bayern 2-1 (H-T: 1-1)

SC Freiburg

Bürki – Mujdza (Philipp 85), Krmas, Mitrovic, Günter - Höfler, Darida - Schmid, Klaus (Frantz 74) - Guedé, Mehmedi (Petersen 86)

ERSATZ

Mielitz, Riether, Torrejon, Schuster

FC Bayern

Neuer - Rafinha, Boateng, Benatia, Juan Bernat - Xabi Alonso (Müller 64) – Rode (Lahm 72), Schweinsteiger (Thiago 72) - Weiser, Götze - Lewandowski

ERSATZ

Lucic, Javi Martinez, Gaudino, Pizarro

SCHIEDSRICHTER

Tobias Welz (Wiesbaden)

ZUSCHAUER

24,000 (capacity)

TORE

0-1 Schweinsteiger (13), 1-1 Mehmedi (33), 2-1 Petersen (89)

GELBEKARTEN

Guedé / -

Bayern Vow 'Attractive Football' in Freiburg

Four days after Bayern’s exit from the Champions League, the Reds return to the bread-and-butter of the Bundesliga and the last away match of the season. The champions travel to the Breisgau region in the far south-west of Germany for the meeting with relegation-threatened SC Freiburg on Saturday (Live in English from 15:30 on Twitter and FCB.tv Web Radio).

“Obviously we want to win the match and play as well as possible,” boss Pep Guardiola announced at Friday lunchtime’s press conference. The Reds were confirmed as champions back on Matchday 30, but Guardiola rejected concerns that his troops might approach the last two matches half-heartedly. “We’re always serious,” the 44-year-old declared.

The men from Munich have achieved ten wins, a draw and a goal surplus of 33 to one in their matches with the league’s six remaining candidates for the drop this term. The Bavarians are determined to extend that record on Saturday. “It’s our duty. The other teams fighting relegation are relying on us,” noted Sebastian Rode. “We’re set on winning our last two games so we can celebrate the championship title as it should be celebrated.”

Reina and Dante suspended

“We know it’s been all over in the Bundesliga for a couple of weeks now, but we still want our fans to see us win. We aim to make a start in Freiburg and go all out for victory,” commented vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger. Jérôme Boateng called for a show of class: “We’re the champions, so we should enjoy it and still play attractive football.”

For the meeting with the side precariously placed in 15th, Guardiola will pick from more or less the same squad as last Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Barcelona. The only fit players definitely missing are Pepe Reina, who serves a one-match ban after his red card against Augsburg last weekend, and Dante, who picked up a fifth yellow and a ban in the same match. There is a slight question-mark over Manuel Neuer, who Guardiola said came away from the Barcelona clash with an ankle injury.

Pre-match news from SC Freiburg

• Unavailable: Mats Möller Daehlie (knee), Oliver Sorg (shin)
  
  
• Coach Christian Streich: “If we play well, calmly and cleverly, with hunger and precision, and also go to the limit, we have a chance of winning. I’m utterly convinced our goal difference will still be good after the match.”

"Stadium & Balcony" 2 Parties for the Champs

Not long now until the party – or to be more precise, the parties! After the final Bundesliga fixture for this season, FC Bayern will celebrate the club’s 25th German championship with the fans not once but twice. The first party is on Saturday 23 May immediately after the meeting with Mainz at the Allianz Arena, when captain Philipp Lahm will be presented with the championship shield. On Sunday 24 May, the club will stage the traditional parade followed by the presentation of the trophy to the fans from the Town Hall balcony on Marienplatz (details to follow next week). Bayern successfully retained the title “in the most difficult circumstances,” commented Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, as last summer’s World Cup and the injury misery at the club took a heavy toll. “Our players’ mental and physical performance this season was and is outstanding,” the chairman said, “and that’s why we want to celebrate!”

Rehab and weights on Father’s Day

The Säbener Strasse was much quieter than usual on Father’s Day in Germany. A couple of youth teams trained on the practice ground, but the only senior player out on the pitch was David Alaba. Supervised by rehab coach Thomas Wilhelmi, the Austrian continued his post-injury training programme. Alaba ruptured a ligament in his left knee in late March. Arjen Robben (torn muscle) and Franck Ribéry (ankle) also completed sports rehab drills, although the pair stayed indoors in the performance center. They were joined by Javi Martínez, who worked out on the weights.

'Super Bayern' will fight back

The fans at the Allianz Arena were outstanding. The South Stand urged their team on non-stop for 93 minutes and they met their match at the other end with the North Stand getting behind FC Bayern in style. And, even though the 3-2 win against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final second leg tie was not enough to secure a place in the Final in Berlin, there was a huge display of pride for the team as the fans sang the praises of “Super Bayern, Super Bayern, hey, hey!”

“We wanted to get to Berlin,” said Pep Guardiola who was initially “sad” at missing out on the Final. “I thanked my players. I’m very happy about the way the team performed.” Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was also full of praise, “the team fought brilliantly.” The chairman said Barcelona “deserved to go through” over the two legs, “but we can go out with our heads held high.”

“We could have done something in the first half. We had some really great chances,” said Jêrôme Boateng in describing Bayern’s desire to get forward that saw Mehdi Benatia open the scoring with a header on seven minutes. “It’s a shame we didn’t make it 2-0,” added Boateng. Instead, two quick breaks ended with Neymar bagging a brace (15 and 29) – that marked the end of the battle for a place in the Final according to Philipp Lahm.

'No need to hang our heads'

The German champions refused to throw in the towel. With the fantastic backing of the fans Bayern took the lead with goals from Robert Lewandowski (59) and Thomas Müller (74) as FCB took their leave of their eighteenth Champions League campaign. “We showed what we can do,” said Müller, whose 28^th goal in the Champions League secured a sixth home win in Europe’s premier club competition this term. Manuel Neuer declared: “We gave one hundred percent to turn the game round in the second half.”

“We were in the semi-finals for the fourth time in succession so that’s alright,” said Rummenigge in drawing a positive conclusion to the Champions League campaign that ended with FCB setting another club record. This is the first time a Bayern side has ever clocked up 33 goals in this competition. Bayern are also the only team in the Champions League to score six or more goals three times in a season. “We can be proud and we don’t need to hang our heads,” said Boateng.

Guardiola’s plan

“All in all, we had a great season,” said Müller looking on the bright side, “we did very well considering all the injuries we had, we played very well in some games and turned it round against Porto.” Bastian Schweinsteiger pointed out FCB have been in “the Champions League every season for the past five or six years” and were often in the semi-finals or the Final, “so I believe we deserve to be praised as a team.”

And that did not take very long. “I’m very, very proud,” said Guardiola in backing his players who he was keen to praise in the FCB dressing room after the final whistle. The Bayern coach promised: “We want to fight back next season. We’ll start from the beginning again.” Until then the Catalan boss has plans for his players and the outstanding supporters: “I want to celebrate the league title now!”

Reaction to Bayern v Barça

The players gave their all right through to the final whistle but at the end of the day Bayern missed out on a place in the Champions League final. “Taking the 180 minutes as a whole Barcelona deserve to go through,” commented Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after the Reds’ 3-2 home win: “We bow out with our heads held high.”

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: “I think we did very well as a team. The players put up a magnificent fight and scored three goals, but unfortunately conceded two as well. Taking the 180 minutes as a whole Barcelona deserve to go through, but we bow out with our heads held high. We’ve not been able to make the final in Berlin against what’s probably the best team in the world right now. But we made the semi-finals, and for the fourth time in a row too, so everything’s OK.”

Matthias Sammer: “We’re out and that’s frustrating. The team showed good and extraordinary character today and we can build on that. We weren’t able to compensate for the setbacks the way we wanted.”

Pep Guardiola: “We played well and we leave the stadium today with our dignity intact. Obviously we’re down because we wanted to make the final in Berlin, but we’d already lost this semi-final in Barcelona.”

Philipp Lahm: “We all believed in a miracle, but unfortunately it didn’t work out because we conceded the equaliser so quickly. We gave it everything we had. Obviously, we didn’t lose the tie today, we lost it in the first leg.”

Thomas Müller: “It’s nice to see we’re capable of matching them but there’s no prizes for that today. Even though we were 3-0 down from the first leg we could have got more out of it today. We’ve let in two goals and not made the most of our good chances.”

Luis Enrique (Barcelona coach): “I’m not upset about the result because Bayern are a very good team.”

Bayern Thank Fans For "Tremendous" Support

Everyone knows the Allianz Arena can be transformed into a seething cauldron of noise and colour, but the loyal Bayern fans created an almost unbelievable atmosphere for Tuesday’s Champions League return against Barcelona. “I’ve rarely experienced an atmosphere like that, it was simply sensational,” said captain Philipp Lahm on behalf of the whole team.

The choreographed crowd mosaic prior to kick-off was a spectacle in itself and made news all over the world. After that the fans tirelessly got behind their team, not even allowing Barça’s goals to dampen the mood. “Immer weiter” (Keep going) was the motto adopted by the 70,000 at the Arena. Bayern won on the night but were eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition – and yet the supporters rose to acclaim their heroes for minutes after the final whistle.

“We’ve seldom had such tremendous support as tonight, even though we’ve been knocked out,” said Thomas Müller. “Terrific! It sent shivers down my spine, and that doesn’t happen to me very often.” Coach Pep Guardiola also thanked the fans. “Credit to everyone! We’ll see each other again and celebrate the championship title together when we play Mainz on 23 May.”

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Bayern Bow Out With Heads Held High

Despite a stirring 3-2 victory over favourites Barcelona in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg, Bayern’s quest for a place in this season’s big European final is over following a 5-3 aggregate defeat to the star-studded Catalans. Pep Guardiola’s men put up a valiant fight against the Spanish champions-elect but the burden of last week’s 3-0 away reverse and Barça’s deadly attacking power proved too much over the last four double-header.

The 70,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw a fast and furious opening including the early goal the home team craved, scored after just seven minutes by Mehdi Benatia. The growing euphoria in the stadium was extinguished just eight minutes later when Neymar tapped in the equaliser, and the Brazilian piled on the agony with his side’s second after 29 minutes.

FCB refused to give up and classy Barça keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen clawed a Robert Lewandowski effort off the line, but the Pole went one better just short of the hour with a very well-taken equaliser. Thomas Müller restored his side’s lead a quarter of an hour from time but Barça parked the bus and the Reds were left with a narrow but ultimately fruitless win.

With the biggest European prize slipping agonisingly out of reach, the Bavarians have just two more matches this term, starting with the trip to relegation-threatened SC Freiburg on Saturday afternoon.

Unchanged line-ups

Compared to the weekend meeting with Augsburg, Guardiola made four changes to his team with Manuel Neuer, Rafinha, Mehdi Benatia and Xabi Alonso back in the side for former Barça man Pepe Reina, Mitch Weiser, Dante and Mario Götze. The quartet were joined on the bench by Javi Martinez and fit-again Sebastian Rode, but Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and David Alaba were still absent injured.

The German champions lined up just as they did at Camp Nou six days ago with Neuer in goal, Rafinha, Jerome Boateng, Benatia and Juan Bernat in a back four, Alonso in the holding position, captain Philipp Lahm, ex-Barcelona starlet Thiago and Bastian Schweinsteiger in midfield, and Lewandowski and Müller up front.

Visiting coach Luis Enrique also fielded a line-up unchanged from the first leg featuring the fearsome front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

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Mehdi on target, Neymar too

After English referee Mark Clattenburg whistled play underway, the sides tore into each other from the off with chances at either end for Müller and Ivan Rakitic, but Neuer made a fine save from the ex-Schalke man. FCB pushed on and had the precious opening goal they wanted with only seven minutes on the clock when the unmarked Benatia headed Alonso’s corner past ter Stegen in the visiting goal.

Lewandowski and Müller combined well and Schweinsteiger flashed a drive just too high, but Munich’s great start was ruined on the quarter-hour when Messi’s sublime pass behind the defence allowed Suarez to tee up Neymar for a tap-in and set FCB the monumental task of scoring at least four more goals.

Despite the sense of deflated expectation filling the ground Guardiola’s troops stuck to the task and ter Stegen was kept busy dealing with efforts from Müller, Lewandowski and Müller again after a lovely Thiago run. However, danger was ever-present at the other end too and Neuer saved smartly from Messi, but the keeper was powerless to prevent Neymar handing his side a 29th-minute lead from another Suarez assist.

It was a killer blow, but the crowd responded magnificently and Bayern threatened again towards the end of the first half, ter Stegen tipping a Schweinsteiger header over the bar and then somehow clawing Lewandowski’s effort off the line after only half-blocking the Pole’s initial shot, before Benatia steered a header wide.

FCB turn it round after half-time

The second half began with the sides cagily feeling each other out and a marked drop in the tempo of the contest, but Bernat signalled Bayern’s continuing attacking intent with a skidding low drive on 56 minutes, and Lewandowski levelled the scores with a terrific finish three minutes later from Lahm’s weighted pass, the Pole leaving Argentine enforcer Javier Mascherano sprawling before slotting past ter Stegen.

Müller’s shot on the turn slid wide of the target and Lahm failed to get a shot away after determined work by Lewandowski, before the captain gave way to Rode midway through the second period. Guardiola’s side were playing all the football now and Müller netted from 20 yards in the 74th minute after a neat move and Schweinsteiger’s unselfish lay-off.

Lewandowski was proving a real handful now but with a Spanish league title decider on the horizon Barça had clearly decided to settle for the narrow defeat on the night and pulled men back. Martinez and Götze replaced Schweinsteiger and Müller at the end before FCB’s European campaign for this term ended when Mr Clattenburg blew the final whistle.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

FC Bayern - FC Barcelona 3-2 (H-T: 1-2)

FC Bayern

Neuer - Rafinha, Benatia, Boateng, Bernat – Alonso – Lahm (Rode 68), Schweinsteiger (Martínez 86), Thiago - Müller (Götze 86), Lewandowski

ERSATZ

Reina, Dante, Pizarro, Weiser

FC Barcelona

ter Stegen - Dani Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Alba – Rakitic (Mathieu 72), Busquets, Iniesta (Xavi 75) - Messi, Suárez (Pedro 46), Neymar

ERSATZ

Bravo, Rafinha, Bartra, Adriano

SCHIEDSRICHTER

Mark Clattenburg (England)

ZUSCHAUER

70,000 (capacity)

TORE

1-0 Benatia (7), 1-1 Neymar (15), 1-2 Neymar (29), 2-2 Lewandowski (59), 3-2 Müller (74)

GELBEKARTEN

Rafinha, Thiago, Lewandowski, Alonso, Rode / Rakitic

Neuer and Thiago Sit Out Final Training

On Monday afternoon the Bayern squad gathered at the Säbener Strasse facility for their last training session prior to the Champions League semi-final return against FC Barcelona. Pep Guardiola took charge of a group comprising 23 players. Manuel Neuer and Thiago were not among them, but there are no grounds for concern as the pair reported to the performance centre for treatment on minor knocks and are fit to play on Tuesday. Out on the pitch, Sebastian Rode made a first squad appearance since suffering a sprain.

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We'll Give Everything and Keep Believing

Barcelona 3. Bayern 0. There’s no question the Reds’ position going into the Champions League semi-final second leg on Tuesday (Live in English from 20:45 CET on Twitter and FCB.tv free Web Radio) is “extremely difficult,” as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge acknowledged. However, no-one has given up hope, because it is figuratively speaking still only half-time in the clash between two of Europe’s leading clubs. There are still (at least) 90 minutes to play!

“What matters to us is a good result, ideally a win. Let’s wait and see if we can do even better than that,” continued the Bayern chairman, “we’re neither pessimistic nor optimistic – we’re realistic. In other words: we have a small chance, but a small chance is also a chance.” Pep Guardiola took a similar view. “We won’t give up. We’re 3-0 down to the best European team of the last 15 to 20 years. But we’ll give it a try.”

A crucial factor will be preventing Barcelona creating chances on the break. “We need to control the play. They have outstanding counter-attacking players. If we don’t keep our shape, they’ll punish us brutally,” the coach warned. At the other end, Guardiola urged his men to take “the few chances that come our way. Obviously we have to attack better than we did in Barcelona, where we weren’t able to create meaningful chances.”

Müller looks to home support

The basic game plan is in place. The Spaniard will work on the details with his men in the hours leading up to kick-off. “The coach will get us fired up for the match,” said Thomas Müller, who reckons a key factor will be “passion, desire and support from the fans.” That was impressively demonstrated on Saturday when the crowd saluted the players despite a league defeat to Augsburg. “It was world-class and I was really blown away,” the World Cup winner admitted.

“Obviously we have ground to make up,” continued Müller, addressing the international press conference at the Allianz Arena, “we’re actually feeling slightly elated. We have nothing to lose and we have to go for it. We’ll give it everything and keep believing until the ref blows the final whistle.” The striker said he was not euphoric, “but not pessimistic either. We’ll work out a game plan and then pursue it to the end.”

Avoid conceding

More than anything else the men from Munich want to avoid conceding, as a single goal for Barça would leave FCB needing five to make the final. That is verging on the impossible, as the in-form Catalans have not let in a single goal in their last seven games. “The problem isn’t just Messi, it’s the whole Barça team,” Bayern full-back Rafinha pointed out.

Despite it all, Munich intend to dig deep one last time and perhaps achieve the seemingly impossible. “Look what happened at the weekend against Augsburg. A long ball, a penalty, a red card, and the game’s turned on its head,” recalled Müller. Rafinha was confident: “We know how good we are here at home with our fans behind us.” And Guardiola thought back to some glorious Champions League nights in the past. “Shakhtar, Porto. No-one expected victories by that kind of margin.”

European Fortress Allianz Arena

FC Bayern boast an excellent home record in the current Champions League campaign, as Germany’s biggest club have won all five of their matches in Munich with an impressive 19 goals scored and only one conceded. Only Real Madrid (24) and Barcelona (20) in 2011/12 have scored more. In their last three Champions League home fixtures, FCB have achieved results that would at minimum keep the door to the final open against Barcelona: 3-0 against CSKA Moscow, 7-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk and 6-1 against FC Porto.

Do it like Deportivo?

In the history of the Champions League only one team has managed to progress to the next round after losing the first leg of a knockout tie by more than two goals. In 2003/04, Deportivo La Coruna fell 4-1 to AC Milan in the first meeting but won the return 4-0. In this season’s quarter-finals against FC Porto, Bayern turned round a two-goal deficit from the first leg for the first time. As for Barça, the Catalans have never been knocked out of a European competition after taking a three-goal margin with them into the second leg.

Barça good on the road

Barcelona will travel to Munich in confident mood, and not only due to their 3-0 win at Camp Nou: the Spanish champions-elect are undefeated in 14 straight away games, winning 13 and drawing one. Messi & Co’s last defeat on the road came more than four months ago.

No wins in Munich

Barcelona have visited Munich four times in the past but have yet to win in the Bavarian capital, with two draws and two defeats so far. However, their away record against German teams is good: the Catalans have won nine of 23 matches, with eight draws and six defeats. Most recently, Barcelona suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Bayern in April 2013 – a repeat of that result would be enough to salvage the tie for Thomas Müller and his team-mates on Tuesday night.

Clattenburg in charge

Mark Clattenburg from England will referee Tuesday’s Champions League clash between FC Bayern and FC Barcelona. Clattenburg has taken charge of matches involving Bayern twice in Europe’s elite club competition: the 2-0 quarter-final success against Juventus in April 2013 and the 7-0 victory over FC Basel in the 2011/12 Round of 16. As for the Catalans, the 40-year-old match official refereed their 3-1 quarter-final first leg victory away to Paris St. Germain a few weeks ago.

Bayern Vow Fight To The End Against Barça

“Give it everything on Tuesday – we’re behind you all the way!” That was the rallying call on a banner at the Allianz Arena when FCB hosted Augsburg on Saturday, a statement from the fans making clear that the Bundesliga fixture three days prior to the Champions League semi-final return against Barcelona was not their top priority. Nevertheless, Pep Guardiola fielded a near full strength team for the Bavarian derby. “The players weren’t yet on holiday,” the Spaniard stated, but at the end of the day the champions were obliged to accept a 1-0 victory to the lively visitors.

“We’re not putting away our chances at the moment,” lamented Philipp Lahm. The captain was substituted after just 14 minutes, allowing Manuel Neuer to replace Pepe Reina in goal after the backup keeper saw a red card for a foul as last man. Mario Götze (9) and Robert Lewandowski (44) both hit the woodwork, but Raul Bobadilla won it for FCA with a neat backheel on 70 minutes.

Bayern are now without a win in four, although the league title is already in the bag and the reverse against Augsburg ultimately mattered little. However, a win would have been a boost to morale prior to the Barça return. “We were committed, we weren’t just looking to do the minimum,” commented Thomas Müller, “although naturally we weren’t expecting to be down to ten men after quarter of an hour.”

‘It’s not over yet'

Afterwards, down in the Allianz Arena Mixed Zone, talk of the afternoon’s match soon gave way to forecasts and debate about the Barcelona showdown. “Unbelievable things happen in football sometimes,” observed Bastian Schweinsteiger. There is still a glimmer of hope despite a very, very tough situation in the tie. “We have to give everything we’ve got. We’ve shown often enough what we’re capable of here in Munich. It’s not over yet and we’ll battle to the end,” Lewandowski declared.

Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge spoke of a “crushingly small” chance, but football occasionally throws up “so-called matches of the century. Our duty is to give it our all, and if it’s not enough, we can’t change it.” Müller is counting on the passionate home support, who serenaded their heroes for minutes even after the defeat to Augsburg. “It was a great feeling after the match,” the World Cup winner said, “we all know it’s a mammoth task, but we haven’t given up on it!”