FC BAYERN LOAN HOJBJERG TO SCHALKE

FC Bayern Munich have agreed a season-long loan deal with Schalke 04 for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (20). The Danish international will join the Gelsenkirchen club until the end of the 2015-16 campaign. The parties will sign the agreement after the obligatory pre-transfer medical.

“I'm looking forward to this new challenge until the end of the season,” commented Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, “I want to gain match practice and prove myself for FC Bayern. That's what I want to achieve in Schalke.”

“This is a very good solutions for both, and indeed all three parties,” explained FC Bayern sporting director Matthias Sammer. “We continue to count on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and we're certain his future lies in Munich. But to develop further he needs immediate match practice which he will get at Schalke,” Sammer continued. “We at FC Bayern have positive experiences with loan spells of this kind in the case of Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos and David Alaba.”

ARSENAL, OLYMPIACOS AND ZAGREB!

Bayern face a tough but manageable task in the preliminary stage of this season’s Champions League after the 2013 winners were drawn to play English Premier League giants Arsenal, Greek champions Olympiacos and Croatian side GNK Dinamo Zagreb in Group F.

“We can be happy with the draw, but we’ll have to focus and play well from the first match onwards," commented FCB chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in a first reaction to the draw. "We want to get through to the last 16 – no question," added sporting director Matthias Sammer. "But we have to approach this task with seriousness and respect.”

The draw for the first stage of Europe’s elite club competition was made at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday evening, supervised as always by UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino, and conducted on this occasion by former Barca stars Andoni Zubizarreta, Juliano Belletti, Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal, and ambassadors for the 2015 final Paolo Maldini and Javier Zanetti.

GOOD RECORD AGAINST THE GUNNERS

Bayern beat Arsenal in the Round of 16 in 2012/13 and 2013/14 and recorded a win and a draw against the Gunners in the 2000/01 second group stage. Olympiacos are based in Piraeus, the port of Athens, while Dinamo Zagreb are the reigning Croatian champions.

In the draw, Bayern were among the eight seeded teams drawn from Pot 1, although the top eight are no longer determined according to their UEFA club coefficients but instead comprise the holders plus the champions from the seven strongest leagues. The UEFA coefficients, based on performance over the last five seasons, were then used to assign the 24 non-seeded teams into pots.

The eight groups of four comprise one team from each pot. Teams from the same country cannot be drawn together at the group stage, so Bayern could not have faced Bayer Leverkusen (Pot 2), VfL Wolfsburg or Borussia Mönchengladbach (both in Pot 4). The group stage matches all kick off at the usual time of 20.45 CET. The first matchday in the 2015/16 campaign is on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September, with the final on 28 May 2016 at the San Siro in Milan, the stadium where Bayern won the trophy back in 2001.

PEP: THE LAST TEN MINUTES WERE CRAZY

After the frantic closing stages in Saturday’s meeting with Hoffenheim, Bayern were breathing a sigh of relief. “Both in terms of the temperatures and the match it was fiery stuff today,” commented Thomas Müller, scorer of a vital equaliser before half-time. “The last ten minutes were a little crazy,” as Pep Guardiola noted. However, the coach was ultimately pleased, and not only with the result.

REACTION TO HOFFENHEIM V FCB

Pep Guardiola: “I’m happy with the win, but especially with our performance. We’ve always found it tough in Hoffenheim in recent years, so we knew it would be hard work. The last ten minutes were a little crazy. That was one of our best Bundesliga performances in the last three years.”

Robert Lewandowski: “As always, it wasn’t easy against Hoffenheim. After the penalty and the sending off, we knew we still had to keep it going. We still created two or three good chances. We were the better team.”

Thomas Müller: “Both in terms of the temperatures and the match it was fiery stuff today. We had good chances throughout the match, we stuck to the job even with ten men, and we’ve earned our reward for a really terrific game.”

Markus Gisdol (Hoffenheim coach): “We’ve had a demonstration of Bayern’s brutal individual class. They have players who can simply beat two or three men for speed; you can’t prevent that. We had a whiff of victory at the end, but we’d also have been delighted with a draw.”

Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim scorer):“Disappointment is the main emotion. We’ve gone 2-1 behind in the last minute, but we’ve played well, and we had the chance to wrap it up. We’ve not taken the chance and we’ve been punished... I’m gutted!”

UNDEFEATED AGAINST HOFFENHEIM

Bayern boast a terrific Bundesliga record against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, as the Reds have yet to lose to the men from the Kraichgau region. In 14 meetings to date, FCB have won ten with four draws. The recent record is even better, as Munich have won six of the last seven encounters. Hoffenheim’s only point in that time came in a 3-3 draw at the Allianz Arena in late March 2014 when Bayern had already been crowned champions.

TOUGH ROAD TRIPS

However, the Bavarians have often had it tough on their trips to face Hoffenheim at the Sinsheim stadium. Three of the seven away fixtures ended in draws and Munich have never scored more than twice, although Philipp Lahm and Co have won their last three games in Sinsheim by narrow 2-0, 2-1 and 1-0 scorelines.

NEAR-INVINCIBLE IN THE AUTUMN

Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern fell 2-1 at home to Leverkusen on 28 October 2012 on Matchday 9 in the 2012/13 campaign – and the Bavarians have not lost in the first half of the season ever since. The defeat to Bayer was followed by eight unbeaten games prior to the midpoint in 2012/13, and 17-game unbeaten streaks through to Christmas in both 2013/14 and 2014/15. Including last week’s opening day victory over Hamburg, Bayern are now undefeated in 43 fixtures in the first half of the campaign (35 wins, eight draws). Under Pep Guardiola, FCB have never lost a league game before the halfway mark of a season (30 wins, five draws).

LEWANDOWSKI V KURANYI

Saturday’s match includes a head-to-head between Robert Lewandowski (92 Bundesliga goals) and TSG’s summer signing Kevin Kuranyi (111), the strikers lying second and third in the ranking of currently active players. The pair are bettered only by Leverkusen’s Stefan Kießling (136). Lewandowski, scorer of 20 goals or more in three of his last four complete Bundesliga campaigns, could catch Kuranyi this term if he maintains his average of 0.56 goals per game.

STIELER APPOINTED REFEREE

Thirty-four year-old lawyer Tobias Stieler will referee Saturday’s clash in Sinsheim. His assistants are Patrick Ittrich and Sascha Thielert, with Mark Borsch as the fourth official. Stieler, who also took charge of Bayern’s most recent trip to face Hoffenheim in April this year, has so far overseen seven Bayern wins in seven matches as ref.

COSTA A 'SPECIAL WEAPON' FOR FCB

It is a pleasure to watch this man play. Douglas Costa, 24 years old, new FCB signing, did not take long to conquer the fans' hearts. The Brazilian initially amazed the crowd with his fantastic dribbling skills during the Audi Cup. He followed that up in the first Bundesliga match against Hamburger SV with the next sample of his abilities. “I really liked it. It was a successful start and I'm very happy that I played my part in the victory,” Costa told FCB.tv after the 5-0 win and his debut goal.

He was praised by everyone. “He has incredible energy,” attested Thomas Müller. Skipper Philipp Lahm described Costa as “very, very fleet-footed.” Arjen Robben added: “He's a talent, a special weapon for us, he can sidestep his opponents.” Before, there have only been Franck Ribéry and Robben himself with similar abilities in one-on-one situations. “Now there's Costa too.”

That gives Pep Guardiola even more options – especially since Ribéry is still sidelined due to his ankle injury. “Douglas has settled in quickly,” observed Matthias Sammer. But the Bayern sporting director warned against too much euphoria: “We've made the first step – and that's it.” Karl-Heinz Rummenigge agreed. “I'm always cautious. It's usual that you're highly motivated during the first few games, but you have to prove that again and again later on.”

'MODEST' AND 'RESERVED'

Nevertheless Costa's style of play means the crowd can surely look forward to more. “He seems a good player. Quick, strong at dribbling, strong shooting power,” the chairman continued. Not only did the new signing from Donetsk score against HSV, he also set up a highly watchable goal when he crossed the ball with the outside of his boot to Müller who made it 3-0. His opponent Dennis Diekmeier had to admit after the game: “I'm pretty fast, but he's a rocket.”

A “very modest” and “reserved” rocket, as Sammer revealed. The Brazilian's interviews after the match confirm that. “It doesn't matter where I play. The main thing for us is to win as many games as possible. That's what makes a good team,” said Costa, clearly at home in Munich already. “Everything's fantastic, my team-mates made it pretty easy for me so far. And the city is beautiful too.” Costa and FC Bayern – it seems to be a match made in heaven!

REACTION TO BAYERN V HAMBURG

Pep Guardiola: “It was hard work in the first half because Hamburg played with six at the back. We switched things around a bit at half-time and we improved after that. We had a few problems keeping the pace of the game high. I’m pleased with the debuts for Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal. They have quality and experience and will bring a lot to Bayern Munich. It was the first match and I’m satisfied with the performance.”

Thomas Müller: “That was a super team performance. Once again, we’ve proved we’re still hungry despite all our success in recent years, and we don’t ease off even when we’re 3-0 up. We want to maintain this mentality.”

Robert Lewandowski: “It was the first match and we’ve won it, which is what matters. The first half wasn’t so good, but after going 2-0 up it was clear we could score more goals. It wasn’t easy and we had to be patient.”

Bruno Labbadia (Hamburg coach): “We played well tactically in the first half but then conceded a silly opening goal. We should have defended much better. We let in the second very early after half-time. We aim to learn from last season, keep on working hard and not allow ourselves to be knocked off course."

Dennis Diekmeier (Hamburg): “We have to look for positives. We were disciplined in the first half and stopped them creating much, but we fell apart after the goal early in the second half. We’re disappointed about losing like that."

BAYERN DRAWN AWAY TO WOLFSBURG!

Bayern have been handed the toughest draw currently imaginable in the second round of this season’s DFB Cup, as the competition’s record winners must travel to face the holders and last season’s Bundesliga runners-up VfL Wolfsburg if they are to make the third round.

The draw for the next stage of the domestic knockout competition was made live on national TV by skier Felix Neureuther and German FA (DFB) President Wolfgang Niersbach at the Allianz Arena following the Reds’ 5-0 demolition of Hamburg in the Bundesliga restart fixture on Friday.

“There are easier draws,” commented FCB sporting director Matthias Sammer in an initial reaction, “we lost there in the Supercup so we have to make amends.”

Bayern fell to the Wolves on penalties in the curtain-raiser to the new domestic season two weeks ago, but the Bavarians’ record against Wolfsburg in the cup is immaculate with four wins in four previous meetings, most recently a 6-1 triumph is the 2012/13 semi-finals, albeit at the Allianz Arena.

The second round ties will be played on 27 and 28 October.

ON-FIRE CHAMPIONS ROUT SORRY HAMBURG

Champions Bayern impressively began their quest for a fourth straight title triumph with a wholly deserved and highly convincing 5-0 thrashing of outclassed Hamburg in Friday evening’s official opening match of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season.

The 75,000 capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena saw Pep Guardiola’s men patiently pick away at their deep-lying opponents and take a 27th-minute lead through Mehdi Benatia. Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead eight minutes after the restart, before Thomas Müller banished any lingering doubts with the third from Douglas Costa’s brilliant build-up play, the Germany international promptly adding a fourth with quarter of an hour still to go. Summer signing Costa added a final flourish with his maiden German top flight strike to complete the rout before the end.

The Bavarians will be looking to build on their winning start to the new domestic campaign, are back in action on Saturday 22 August with the trip to TSG Hoffenheim on Bundesliga Matchday 2.

STRONG STARTING LINE-UP

Guardiola made five changes to the team that beat FC Nöttingen in the DFB Cup last weekend with Manuel Neuer, Benatia, Xabi Alonso, Müller and Arjen Robben taking over from Sven Ulreich, Rafinha, Joshua Kimmich, Juan Bernat and Mario Götze. These five began on the bench alongside Thiago, who only resumed training after in midweek after a stomach upset, and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg.

Bayern’s starting line-up for the first match of the new league campaign comprised Neuer in goal, David Alaba, Benatia, Jerome Boateng and captain Philipp Lahm in defence, Alonso anchoring the midfield, and a potent attacking force of Robben, Arturo Vidal, Müller, Costa and Robert Lewandowski.

OFF THE MARK THROUGH MEHDI

After a brief but colourful ceremony to mark the start of the 53rd Bundesliga season, referee Bastian Dankert whistled play underway – and the first chance fell to underdogs Hamburg, although Lewis Holtby’s shot barely had the power to warm Neuer’s gloves.

The Reds replied with Robben’s flicked header and Lewandowski’s effort onto the roof of the net, but it took until the 27th minute before Benatia opened Bayern’s account for the campaign with his second league goal for the club, a firm header from Alonso’s teasing free-kick.

FCB turned the screw with Müller just off target and HSV keeper Rene Adler turning aside Boateng’s piledriver, but the visitors tackled hard and there was some typically early-season wayward passing, so Guardiola’s men were restricted to Alaba’s fizzing drive before half-time.

REDS COAST TO VICTORY

Adler was in action again at the start of the second half, punching away Alaba’s curling free-kick, but the keeper was powerless to prevent Lewandowski making it two on 53 minutes after Matthias Ostrzolek’s weak clearing header under pressure from Müller.

Rafinha and Götze now replaced Alonso and Robben, before Adler denied Rafinha and the Reds had a very convincing shout for a penalty waved aside when Johan Djourou appeared to handle the loose ball. The third goal was not long in the coming, and it was a beauty when it did: Costa showed stunning pace to prevent the ball going out before whipping in a deadly cross, met on the full at the near post by the stooping Müller after 69 minutes.

Hamburg were reeling and the punishment continued four minutes later when Müller ran onto Lewandowski’s neat reverse pass and skipped past Adler before firing home the fourth from a narrow angle. FCB were not done yet as Alaba drew a good save from Adler, before Costa iced the cake with a fulminating drive to make it five in the 87th minute on a night where the better team registered an utterly deserved victory.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

FC BAYERN - HAMBURGER SV 5-0 (H-T: 1-0)

FC Bayern

Neuer – Lahm (Thiago 72), Benatia, Boateng, Alaba - Xabi Alonso (Rafinha 56) – Robben (Götze 65), Vidal, Müller, Douglas Costa – Lewandowski

ERSATZ

Ulreich, Juan Bernat, Höjbjerg, Kimmich

Hamburger SV

Adler - Diekmeier, Djourou, Spahic, Ostrzolek – Ekdal (Olic 61), Jung – Ilicevic (Diaz 72), Holtby, Gregoritsch – Schipplock (Lasogga 72)

ERSATZ

Hirzel, Kacar, N. Müller

SCHIEDSRICHTER

Bastian Dankert (Rostock)

ZUSCHAUER

75,000 (capacity)

TORE

1-0 Benatia (27), 2-0 Lewandowski (53), 3-0 Müller (69), 4-0 Müller (73), 5-0 Costa (87)

GELBEKARTEN

Alonso, Boateng / Diekmeier, Spahic

RODE AND THIAGO POISED TO RETURN

Dribbling, shooting, passing and headers were the main elements in the individual workout completed by Sebastian Rode on Tuesday. The midfield dynamo missed the cup tie against Nöttingen with bruising to the foot but informed fcbayern.de that he would be fit for the Bundesliga restart fixture on Friday: “I’ve trained well, and I’ll be back with the squad tomorrow.” Rode was joined for part of the time by Thiago. The Spaniard missed the Nöttingen clash and the Audi Cup with an upset stomach but is also set to resume the team programme on Wednesday. The rest of the players had Tuesday off.

BUNDESLIGA COACHES FAVOUR BAYERN

Same procedure as every year: every August, FC Bayern approach the new season as overwhelming favourites to win the league title. 16 of the 18 Bundesliga coaches agree, according to an annual survey carried out by news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa). “They have the best squad, a superb coach and are clearly the favourites for the championship,” commented Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt. Only two bosses are not entirely convinced at this stage: Mainz supremo Martin Schmidt reckons there will be a “three-way fight at least at the top of the table” between Bayern, Dortmund and Wolfsburg; and Köln’s Peter Stöger thinks “one or two teams could keep the championship race alive for a long time.”

KIMMICH: MY DEBUT WAS FUN

When Joshua Kimmich emerged from the dressing room for training on Monday morning, it was in the company of Pep Guardiola: the other players had already been on the pitch for some time. The youngster’s talk with the coach in the performance centre had taken a bit longer than expected. There was plenty to discuss, after all: a dream had come true for Kimmich on Sunday afternoon.

The gifted 20-year-old had played for FC Bayern for the first time in a competitive fixture – as part of the starting line-up. “It was fun, even if it wasn't our best performance,” said Kimmich, looking back at the 3-1 victory after Monday’s regeneration session. “I was pleased to play from the beginning.” The Germany U-21 international still appears a little shy when he is talking. But this is what makes Rottweil-born Kimmich so charming.

“I want to learn as much as possible, to adapt, to approach the high quality step by step,” explained the new signing from Leipzig, modest to a tee. Guardiola previously entrusted Kimmich with a starting berth in the Audi Cup semi-final against AC Milan, but the youngster had to be substituted early on due to a bruised thigh. Five days later he was back, playing alongside Arturo Vidal in defensive midfield in Karlsruhe’s Wildparkstadion.

‘IT BOOSTS YOUR CONFIDENCE'

Guardiola has great faith in Kimmich. “This boy will play many matches for Bayern Munich,” the head coach declared. The midfielder is naturally flattered by such words. “It boosts your confidence and makes you want to continue to work hard,” he commented. However, Joshua is realistic in his assessment of the current situation. “I know I'm at the beginning of my career and have to work for everything I want.”

The 20-year-old stressed that he appreciates every minute he is on the pitch: “It’ll take time to get used to the high level at Bayern. I'm learning in every match, in every training session,” he said, “we only have world-class players, so you can learn a lot from everyone here.” He was reluctant to compare FCB to his former club Leipzig: “It's just a different kind of world.”

CUP FAVOURITES EASE INTO SECOND ROUND

Bayern made light of the blistering heat in the south-west of Germany on Sunday afternoon and lived up to their role as overwhelming favourites with a routine but entertaining victory over the plucky part-timers of fifth-tier FC Nöttingen in Sunday’s DFB Cup first round tie.

The 29,486 full house at Karlsruhe’s Wildparkstadion saw Arturo Vidal net an early penalty for Pep Guardiola’s men, only for Niklas Hecht-Zirpel to send the home fans into raptures with a shock equaliser. Mario Götze instantly restored the lead and Robert Lewandowski added a third midway through the first period, but the courageous amateurs refused to buckle for a long spell and came away with great credit from their big day against one of the world’s best cubs.

The Bavarians return to action at home to Hamburg in the official 2015/16 Bundesliga restart fixture on Friday, with the draw for the second round of the cup taking place at the Allianz Arena after the final whistle.

STARTS FOR ULREICH AND KIMMICH

Guardiola made four changes to the team that beat Real Madrid in the Audi Cup final last Wednesday with Sven Ulreich, Joshua Kimmich, Juan Bernat and Lewandowski replacing Manuel Neuer, Mehdi Benatia, Xabi Alonso and Thomas Müller. That foursome took seats on the bench alongside Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg and fit-again duo Arjen Robben and Dante, with Sebastian Rode, Gianluca Gaudino and Julian Green not making the squad on this occasion.

The record cup winners began with Ulreich in goal, Rafinha, Jerome Boateng and David Alaba in a back three, Kimmich and captain Philipp Lahm in midfield, and a formidable front five of Arturo Vidal, Götze, Douglas Costa, Bernat and Lewandowski.

Nöttingen boss Michael Wittwer, who played 145 Bundesliga matches for Karlsruhe between 1989 and 1998 and came up against FC Bayern eight times in total, sent out a side largely comprising students and apprentices but also including an HR manager and insurance salesman.

FIRST-HALF FIREWORKS

Only four minutes had gone before referee Robert Kampka was pointing to the Nöttingen spot following Felix Zachmann’s clear handball in the box, Vidal stepping up to convert the penalty and open his account for Germany’s most successful club. But the amateurs resisted bravely and triggered an explosion of ecstasy among their followers on 16 minutes when Hecht-Zirpel met Michael Schürg’s intelligent cut-back and finished at the second attempt after Ulreich could only parry the student teacher’s first effort.

The reply came just 60 seconds later when Götze fashioned a yard of space on the edge of the box and bent an unstoppable shot past FCN keeper Robin Kraski, before Lewandowski made it 3-1 from close range on 26 minutes. Order had been restored, but for all FCB’s dominance of possession the minnows defended stoutly and gilt-edged chances were hard to come by through to the break.

TOIL IN THE HEAT

Hojbjerg replaced Vidal for the second half but the first real chance fell to FCN when Ulreich needed two attempts at controlling Mario Bilger’s long-range shot. Lahm gave way to Robben ten minutes after the restart and the Dutchman added a new dose of vim to his team’s attacking efforts, but it was not until the 63rd minute that Götze drew a sharp save from Kraski.

With Dante replacing Kimmich for Bayern, the home team visibly began to tire in the last quarter of an hour and both Costa and Lewandowski went close, but FCN never gave up and Ulreich made a good block from the onrushing Schürg. The crowd kept on singing and spirits remained upbeat to the end on a festival day for Nöttingen and a solid job of work by the champions.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

FC NÖTTINGEN - FC BAYERN 1-3 (H-T: 1-3)

FC Nöttingen

Kraski - Schmidt, Walter, Fuchs, Bilger - Hecht-Zirpel (Bitzer 70), Schneckenberger, Zachmann (Neziraj 82), Brenner - Schürg, Gür (Schenker 77)

ERSATZ

Dups, Bischoff, Hohn, Bräuning

FC Bayern

Ulreich - Rafinha, Boateng, Alaba – Lahm (Robben 55), Kimmich (Dante 74) – Vidal (Hojbjerg 46), Costa, Götze, Bernat – Lewandowski

ERSATZ

Neuer, Benatia, Alonso, Müller

SCHIEDSRICHTER

Dr. Robert Kampka (Mainz)

ZUSCHAUER

29,486 (capacity)

TORE

0-1 Vidal (5, pen), 1-1 Hecht-Zirpel (16), 1-2 Götze (17), 1-3 Lewandowski (26)

GELBEKARTEN

Zachmann / Vidal, Boateng, Bernat

NEUER AND MÜLLER NAMED LAHM’S DEPUTIES

Bastian Schweinsteiger spent many long years as vice-captain at FC Bayern, but following the midfielder’s departure for Manchester United, a successor is required. Matthias Sammer revealed the new hierarchy on Friday: “Philipp Lahm is the captain, Manuel Neuer is the vice-captain and Thomas Müller the number three,” the sporting director said, “these are our three most senior players.”

QUINTET SWEAT IN THE HEAT

The temperature in Munich on Friday soared to above 30 degrees Celsius, but five FCB stars turned out for training in any case. Arjen Robben, Thiago, Dante and Joshua Kimmich completed tailored workouts out on the Säbener Strasse training ground in the morning, with Javi Martínez posting a few laps of the facility in the afternoon. The rest of the squad had the day off.

FCB FULLY FOCUSED ON CUP CLASH

The searing heat in Munich on Saturday was no barrier to Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller and company, as the stars hurled themselves into every sprint, tackle and passing move with total commitment. The players are clearly motivated ahead of the DFB Cup first round trip to face FC Nöttingen at 16.00 CET on Sunday, where the competition’s most successful club naturally intend to avoid any possible slip-up.

“Pre-season is over. We have to focus completely on the cup now,” declared sporting director Matthias Sammer, urging the players to concentrate hard on the match at Karlsruhe’s Wildparkstadion. FCN were relegated from the fourth-tier Regionalliga last season, but no-one at FCB is taking the task lightly. “Nöttingen have played Bundesliga teams three times in the cup. They’ll throw everything they have at us,” Sammer warned.

The men from Munich understand the danger, because the fifth-tier side will be totally up for the fight. “History shows that mental toughness on its own can’t beat quality, but it’s an important factor,” continued Sammer, “clearly we’re the better team, but we’ll also need mental strength. We don’t want to see a difference between the teams in terms of mentality.”

Manuel Neuer promised that would not be the case. “We generally play lower league teams in the first round of the cup. We’re familiar with it,” said the world’s best keeper. “We’ll do the job and go through to the next round.” David Alaba agreed: “Nöttingen will make it as hard for us as they can. But we’ll play our football and make the second round.”

ROBBEN AND DANTE RETURN

The 17-time cup winners are leaving nothing to chance. “We’ve analysed our opponents,” revealed Sammer, “the coaching staff will brief the team as they do for every match, preparing them for Nöttingen’s strengths, weaknesses, dead-ball potential and formation. We approach it as if points were at stake.” The sporting director is pleased with Bayern’s pre-season efforts. “It’s been very, very good and intensive,” Sammer noted approvingly.

Adding to the good news, Pep Guardiola can make use of Arjen Robben's services again. The Dutchman, given a breather during the 2015 Audi Cup this week, completed the final pre-match workout and duly boarded the team bus. Dante and Joshua Kimmich, who are training with the team again, could be fielded as well. The same goes for Thiago, but after the Spaniard’s bout of stomach trouble Bayern will “take no risks,” Sammer reported.

Sunday’s opponents are taking a realistic approach: “It would be ridiculous if we sent out a team to analyse how to crush Bayern. My players would laugh at me if I told them: Lahm is no good,” said Nöttingen boss Michael Wittwer. The former Karlsruhe pro is hoping for for “a good game and a great event” at his ‘home’ Wildparkstadion. The Bavarians would certainly agree – as long as the record cup winners ultimately reach the second round for the 21st time in a row.

LEWANDOWSKI STRIKES LATE TO DOWN REAL

Robert Lewandowski struck a fully deserved winner two minutes from time to win the Audi Cup 2015 for Bayern in Wednesday’s prestige final against Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola’s men had much the better of the chances in an intriguing tactical contest with the Spanish giants but Thomas Müller hit the post and Lewandowski somehow missed when scoring looked easier, the Pole redeeming himself with the late tap-in to settle the star-studded clash and send the vast majority of the 71,000 sell-out crowd at the Allianz Arena home happy.

The Bavarians are in competitive action again this Sunday away to FC Nöttingen in the DFB Cup first round, before the official 2015/16 Bundesliga restart fixture on Friday 14 August when the Reds host Hamburg.

FIVE CHANGES, REUNION WITH KROOS

Guardiola made five changes to the team that beat AC Milan in Tuesday’s semi-final, with Manuel Neuer, Mehdi Benatia, Xabi Alonso, Müller and David Alaba replacing Sven Ulreich, Juan Bernat, Joshua Kimmich, Sebastian Rode and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg.

It meant the German champions began with Neuer in goal, Rafinha, Jerome Boateng, Benatia and Alaba in defence, former Real man Alonso in front of the back four, Arturo Vidal, Mario Götze, Douglas Costa and captain Philipp Lahm in midfield, and Müller as the target man.

Madrid boss Rafa Benitez was without Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema due to injury and also began with Gareth Bale on the bench, but former Munich man Toni Kroos featured in the line-up captained by veteran centre-back Sergio Ramos.

FIRST-HALF DEADLOCK

After referee Felix Brych whistled play underway the men in red set eagerly to the task with Müller dragging an early effort wide, but the Spaniards responded with a crisp Kroos drive and a sly Cheryshev attempt. At the other end Real keeper Keylor Navas could only parry a swerving Alaba shot but Lahm failed to direct the rebound on goal.

The sides cancelled each other out for a long spell now and the pre-season nature of the contest was reflected in a raft of misplaced passes, but Costa looked lively and Ramos was forced into a desperate clearance on the half-hour, before Müller’s cross-shot rolled just a yard wide.

Alaba’s free-kick after Marcelo fouled Lahm on the edge of the box came to nothing, but Madrid enjoyed a let-off on 38 minutes when Müller’s speculative effort deflected off Ramos only to hit the post with Navas wrong-footed. The Costa Rica keeper then made a terrific reaction save to deny Götze from Costa’s cut-back, with Boateng a shade lucky not to concede a penalty against Ramos in the last incident of the first half.

LEWY’S LATE WINNER

With Lewandowski and Rode on for Götze and Lahm in the second half, FCB were initially on the back foot and Neuer made a great save from a Kroos free-kick. But Guardiola’s men were soon right back in it and, after Bernat and Höjbjerg had taken over from Vidal and Alonso on the hour, should have taken the lead only for Lewandowski to miss an open goal after fine build-up play by Costa.

Despite a raft of substitutions Real still threatened sporadically and Neuer saved sharply from Kroos before scampering back to clear from sub Asier Illarramendi. FCB kept probing away at the other end but Rode’s lob drifted wide, and Navas beat away Höjbjerg’s thunderous drive and Alaba’s free-kick.

Fabian Benko replaced Rafinha for the last ten minutes with the indefatigable Costa bringing yet another save from the Real goalie, but just as it seemed the game would go to penalties, Costa whipped in a cunning free-kick and Lewandowski cushioned the ball over the line to seal a deserved victory.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

REAL MADRID – FC BAYERN 0-1 (H-T: 0-0)

Real Madrid

Navas - Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Pepe (Nacho 16), Marcelo (Arbeloa 57) – Casemiro (Asensio 46), Kroos (Danilo 72) – Vazquez (Mayoral 72), Isco (Modric 57), Cheryshev (Illarramendi 46) – Jesé (James 57)

ERSATZ

Casilla, Yanez, Varane, Bale, Ödegaard

FC Bayern

Neuer – Rafinha (Benko 80), Boateng, Benatia, Alaba - Xabi Alonso (Höjbjerg 64) – Lahm (Rode 46), Götze (Lewandowski 46), Vidal (Bernat 60), Douglas Costa - Müller

ERSATZ

Ulreich, Gaudino, Green

SCHIEDSRICHTER

Dr Felix Brych (Munich)

ZUSCHAUER

71,000 (capacity)

TORE

0-1 Lewandowski (88)

GELBEKARTEN

Marcelo, Ramos / Alonso, Benatia

BAYERN FIRED UP FOR MADRID SHOWDOWN

Mexican waves rippled around the stadium, the fans saluted their “Super Bayern” heroes, and the players clearly enjoyed their evening’s work. “I think we played really well. We’re very pleased,” commented Thomas Müller after Wednesday evening’s 3-0 Audi Cup semi-final victory over AC Milan. Coach Pep Guardiola readily agreed: “I’m very satisfied. We’ve done a good job today.”

Juan Bernat (23), Mario Götze (74) and Robert Lewandowski (85) scored against the famous Italian club. The stats from an entertaining contest in front of a full house at the Allianz Arena showed that FCB won the shot count 22-4, sent over 22 crosses to their opponents’ four, and won the corners tally 13-0. “We created lots of chances and just played very attractive football,” continued Müller.

REUNION WITH KROOS

Bayern now meet Spanish and world giants Real Madrid in Wednesday’s final (kick-off 20:45 CET, live on ZDF). “It’ll be a good game for us and the fans,” Lewandowski ventured. “We’re looking forward to it. It’s a top match, even if it is only a pre-season game,” added Müller, who is especially looking forward to a reunion with former Reds star Toni Kroos. “I’d certainly like to put one over on him,” the striker grinned.

It was a satisfying evening for all the Munich men except one. Joshua Kimmich took a heavy blow to the thigh after 21 minutes and had to be substituted. “He can’t play tomorrow,” Guardiola said at the post-match press conference, “I’m sad for him.” Kimmich will have to lend his support from a seat in the stands, but the other players will give it their best shot out on the pitch. Any clash with Real Madrid “is a bit special,” said club captain Philipp Lahm: “You definitely want to win a tournament like this.”

COMPOSED FCB BOOK FINAL DATE WITH REAL

Audi Cup hosts Bayern are through to Wednesday’s prestige final against Real Madrid thanks to a comfortable 3-0 victory over AC Milan in Tuesday evening’s second semi-final. Juan Bernat, Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski scored the goals for Pep Guardiola’s experimental line-up to set up the mouth-watering encounter with the Spanish giants, 2-0 winners over Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the day.

Following tomorrow’s final, the Bavarians are in competitive action again this Sunday away to FC Nöttingen in the DFB Cup first round, before the official 2015/16 Bundesliga restart fixture on Friday 14 August when the Reds host Hamburg.

ARJEN AND THIAGO RESTED

Following the strenuous Supercup showdown with Wolfsburg, Guardiola opted to rest Arjen Robben and Thiago altogether and begin with a number of senior names on the bench, handing playing time instead to a clutch of young talents. The home team started with Sven Ulreich in goal, Rafinha, Jerome Boateng and Bernat in defence, Joshua Kimmich, Sebastian Rode, Arturo Vidal, Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg and captain Philipp Lahm in midfield, and Douglas Costa partnering Mario Götze up front.

BERNAT WITH THE OPENER

Before kick-off, the stadium rose in a minute’s appreciative applause for Stefan Beckenbauer, the long-serving FCB youth coach who died last weekend aged 46. Once referee Peter Sippel whistled play underway, the home team pitched camp in the Italians’ half and began diligently pressing and picking away at their deep-lying opponents.

A goal seemed only a matter of time and Bernat duly obliged with the 24th-minute opener, a fierce drive deflected unstoppably past keeper Diego Lopez by Colombia stopper Cristian Zapata. It was all Bayern but Höjbjerg’s chested effort from a Costa cross hit the outside of the post, early sub David Alaba narrowly missed the target from fully 30 yards out, the charging Costa was denied by Lopez, and Vidal came up just short with two headers, the first looping onto the crossbar from Rafinha’s diagonal pass and the second drifting wide.

DESERVED VICTORY

With Lewandowski, Thomas Müller and Mehdi Benatia on for Costa, Vidal and Boateng, Milan created their first real chance three minutes into the second half only for Carlos Bacca to shoot wide of Ulreich’s goal, before visiting skipper Nigel de Jong lashed a volley just past the post.

Xabi Alonso took over from Lahm with the armband passing to Müller, before Rafinha saw his goalbound effort cleared off the line by the impressive Zapata and Lopez saved from Bernat. Götze eventually made it two in the 74th minute with a neat left-footed finish after Lewandowski was held up on the edge of the area, with Lopez then acrobatically denying the Polish striker and young Fabian Benko replacing Götze for the last ten minutes. Lewandowski set the seal on a composed FCB performance five minutes from time, crashing home a 16-yard volley from Müller’s flipped lay-off.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

FC BAYERN – AC MILAN 3-0 (H-T: 1-0)

FC Bayern

Ulreich – Rafinha, Boateng (Benatia 46), Juan Bernat – Kimmich (Alaba 20), Rode (Gaudino 87), Vidal (Müller 46), Höjbjerg (Green 87), Lahm (Xabi Alonso 57) – Götze (Benko 80), Douglas Costa (Lewandowski 46)

ERSATZ

Neuer

AC Milan

Diego Lopez - de Sciglio, Zapata (Alex 65), Rodrigo Ely, Antonelli - De Jong - Bonaventura, Bertolacci - Honda - Luiz Adriano, Bacca

ERSATZ

Abbiati, Abate, Calabria, Mexes, Paletta, Mauri, Montolivo, Nocerino, Poli, Cerci, Matri, Niang, Suso, Donnarumma

SCHIEDSRICHTER

Peter Sippel (Munich)

ZUSCHAUER

71,000 (capacity)

TORE

1-0 Bernat (24), 2-0 Götze (74), 3-0 Lewandowski (85)

FC BAYERN AND AUDI EXTEND PARTNERSHIP

Munich, 4 August 2015: FC Bayern München and its partner AUDI have announced a further extension to their long-running partnership. The new agreement, concluded prior to the expiry of the current contract, covers the period through 30 June 2025.

The extension was today announced by the respective chairman, Rupert Stadler of AUDI AG and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge of FC Bayern München AG, prior to kick-off in the AUDI Cup semi-final between FC Bayern and AC Milan in front of a capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena.

“We are pleased and very proud to be continuing our current partnership with AUDI into the next decade,” commented Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “AUDI is a magnificent partner for us here in Germany and also around the world. We will work together very innovatively in the years to come. Vorsprung durch Technik (Progress through Technology) is not only the AUDI slogan, we too will work in this spirit towards our mutual success.”

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with FC Bayern and we will continue to form a strong team through to the year 2025,” commented Rupert Stadler. “We have been ‘on the ball’ together since 2002 and will further expand our international activities.”

FC Bayern München and AUDI AG have been exclusive partners since 2002. Furthermore, the Ingolstadt-based automotive concern is an 8.33% stockholder in FC Bayern München AG.

FCB SUFFER SUPERCUP SHOOTOUT AGONY

After defeat in the last two German Supercup finals, reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern were agonisingly denied a return to winning ways in the traditional pre-season curtain-raiser on Saturday night with a penalty shootout defeat to DFB Cup winners and league runners-up VfL Wolfsburg. A good-quality contest had earlier ended 1-1, with the Wolves cancelling out Arjen Robben’s opener just a minute from time.

The 30,000 capacity crowd at the VW Arena and the millions watching around the world saw a brisk first period with the visitors initially in the ascendancy. Jerome Boateng hit the bar early on but the Wolves clawed their way into it and Kevin De Bruyne missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring before half-time.

Arjen Robben broke the deadlock four minutes after the restart to put FCB in the driving seat, with star newcomer Arturo Vidal making his Munich debut as a 74th-minute sub. The Reds looked set for victory but Niklas Bendtner levelled it up with a minute to go and the game went to penalties, where Xabi Alonso saw his effort saved by Koen Casteels in a 5-4 shootout victory for the Wolves.

The Bavarians are back in action next Sunday away to FC Nöttingen in the DFB Cup first round, before the official 2015/16 Bundesliga restart fixture on Friday 14 August when the Reds host Hamburg.

DEBUT FOR COSTA

Marquee signing Vidal took a seat on the bench as Pep Guardiola handed Brazilian newcomer Douglas Costa a competitive debut for his new club. The champions lined up with Manuel Neuer in goal, David Alaba, Mehdi Benatia, Jerome Boateng and captain Philipp Lahm in defence, Alonso and Thiago in holding roles, Robben and Costa on the flanks, and Thomas Müller in behind centre-forward Robert Lewandowski.

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JEROME DENIED, LEVEL AT THE BREAK

After referee Marco Fritz whistled play underway on a fine evening in Lower Saxony, Costa was soon causing havoc down the left and Alonso scuffed wide from a good position, but Boateng was simply unlucky when his eighth-minute effort after a corner smacked against the Wolves’ crossbar.

At the other end Vieirinha came close with a drive and Ivan Perisic warmed Neuer’s gloves before putting a header wide, but Guardiola’s men largely held the upper hand and Costa almost applied the finishing touch after Müller brilliantly released Lewandowski.

However, the cup winners fought back and Neuer had to look very sharp indeed to tip away Benatia’s misdirected clearance from a Perisic centre, before a big let-off for the champions on 40 minutes when De Bruyne steered wide of an open goal after flicking the ball over the Bayern keeper.

ARJEN ON TARGET

The second half opened with a bang when Boateng’s raking pass and Costa’s fine first touch and angled pass caused Wolves keeper Casteels to spill the ball under pressure from Lewandowski, Robben arriving at just the right moment to net the loose ball for the 49th-minute opener. The home side sought a response but Neuer superbly stood his ground against Bas Dost with the Dutch marksman clean through, and Guardiola’s men tightened up for a long spell after that, preventing the league runners-up creating any chances worthy of the name.

After Wolves boss Dieter Hecking sent on three fresh strikers for the last 20 minutes, Guardiola reacted by replacing Lewandowski and Thiago with Rafinha and new boy Vidal. Neuer dropped onto Vieirinha’s snap shot and made a comfortable save, with Mario Götze taking over from Müller for the last six minutes. However, there was to be a late shock for Bayern when Wolves sub Bendtner levelled on 89 minutes with a near-post flick from the galloping De Bruyne’s cross, sending the game into a shootout and the agony of a narrow defeat.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

VFL WOLFSBURG - FC BAYERN 1-1 (H-T: 0-0), 5-4 ON PENALTIES

VfL Wolfsburg

Casteels - Vieirinha, Naldo, Klose, Rodriguez - Guilavogui, Arnold – Caligiuri (Schürrle 63), De Bruyne, Perisic (Kruse 70) – Dost (Bendtner 70)

ERSATZ

Grün, Knoche, Schäfer, Träsch

FC Bayern

Neuer - Lahm, Benatia, Boateng, Alaba – Thiago (Vidal 74), Xabi Alonso - Robben, Douglas Costa – Müller (Götze 84) – Lewandowski (Rafinha 72)

ERSATZ

Ulreich, Juan Bernat, Kimmich, Rode

SCHIEDSRICHTER

Marco Fritz (Korb)

ZUSCHAUER

30,000 (capacity)

TORE

0-1 Robben (49), 1-1 Bendtner (89)

Penalties: 0-1 Vidal, 1-1 Rodriguez, Alonso missed (Casteels save), 2-1 De Bruyne, 2-2 Robben, 3-2 Schürrle, 3-3 Lahm, 4-3 Kruse, 4-4 Costa, 5-4 Bendtner

GELBEKARTEN

Guilavogui, Naldo, Perisic / Costa, Vidal

GUARDIOLA: MY PLAN FOR LAHM

With Arturo Vidal now at the club, Philipp Lahm is likely to play at right-back more often than in the recent past, Pep Guardiola said on Friday. “I only have one right-back, Rafinha. So Philipp will sometimes play in the middle and sometimes at right-back,” explained the head coach, praising the club captain’s footballing intelligence: “Philipp filled three different positions in China – and always did well.”

SUPERCUP FACTS AND STATS

It’s the first competitive match of the 2015/16 season, and there’s a trophy at stake too: champions FC Bayern travel to face DFB Cup winners VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday evening in the German Supercup. fcbayern.de reviews the facts, stats and stories behind the fixture:

The Supercup...
will be contested for the 15th time on Saturday. The match was an official fixture from 1987 until 1996, and was restored to the calendar in 2010. The reigning champions have claimed the trophy nine times, the cup winners or Bundesliga runners-up on six occasions. The champions have been beaten for four years in a row now.

The most appearances in the Supercup...
is a record held by FC Bayern, as Munich will compete for the title for the ninth time this season. VfL Wolfsburg are making their Supercup debut and are the 12th different club to feature in the game.

Four out of eight... is FC Bayern’s win record in the Supercup. FCB won the trophy in 1987, 1990, 2010 and 2012, and if they prevail against the Wolves, would draw level with the competition’s most successful club, Dortmund on five wins. Werder Bremen are the third-best team in the cup’s history with three wins.

The top scorer...
in the Supercup is former Bremen striker Wynton Rufer. The New Zealander scored four times in the fixture, and is followed in the ranking by Jürgen Wegmann with his two goals for Bayern and one for Dortmund. Thomas Müller and Arjen Robben have each scored twice.

Goals... are all but guaranteed, The 15 Supercup clashes to date have produced 49 goals, an average of 3.3 per match.

The cup is 53 cm tall and weighs 6 kg... and features one silver and one gold arm, referencing the championship shield and the DFB Cup. The trophy became a challenge cup (kept by the winners until the next running of the fixture) in 2010. It has a nominal insurance value of €40,000.

Goal-line technology... will be used in the Supercup for the first time this year. The system made its German debut in the DFB Cup final in Berlin on 30 May 2015. It is obligatory for all Bundesliga matches as of this season.

The duration of the game... is 90 minutes. There is no extra-time, so in the event of a draw the match goes straight to penalties.

30,000 fans... will fill Wolfsburg’s VOLKSWAGEN Arena on Saturday, meaning every Supercup since the relaunch in 2010 has been a sell-out.

Bayern’s record in 40 meetings with Wolfsburg... reads 30 wins, six draws and four defeats, with Munich scoring at least once in the last 15 clashes. It is an excellent record, although all four FCB defeats were away from home, most recently in the 4-1 league loss in January this year.