FC Bayern Munchen News

The coach was pleased to see his side take top spot but feels they lost the ball too many times against their Greek counterparts on Tuesday

Pep Guardiola was happy with Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win over Olympiacos on Tuesday, but insisted they gave their opponents too much of the ball.

First-half goals from Douglas Costa, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller saw the Bavarian side race into a three-goal lead after just 20 minutes.

The hosts had defender Holger Badstuber sent off soon after the break at the Allianz Arena, yet they still managed to add to their tally with a header from Kingsley Coman.

Finishing first in the table means Bayern, who have now scored 17 times in five European fixtures this season, are certain to host the second leg of their last-16 tie.

And Guardiola is delighted to have the No.1 spot sealed, but insists his side could have done better against their Greek counterparts.

“I am very happy,” he told reporters. “We now have the Champions League in the pocket until February. 

“The players have a great mentality, but we were not perfect with the ball, we lost many easy balls.”

Captain Philipp Lahm stressed the importance of finishing first in the group and feels the dismissal of Badstuber had little effect on such a strong side.

“It is always important to go through as group winners,” Lahm said.

“Then you have the away leg first and the decisive match at home.

“We have players who always want to have the ball, that have the technical abilities to find the right solutions, even if we are one player>

The Bundesliga side strolled to victory over their Greek counterparts after taking a three goal lead inside 20 minutes before Kingsley Coman added a fourth in the second half

Bayern Munich secured top spot in Group F of the Champions League in emphatic fashion, recording a 4-0 victory over nearest rivals Olympiacos despite the dismissal of Holger Badstuber.

First-half goals from Douglas Costa, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller meant Pep Guardiola’s side had the three points wrapped up inside the first 20 minutes at the Allianz Arena.

The hosts were forced to play the majority of the second half with only 10 men, as Badstuber was sent off after bringing down Olympiacos forward Brown Ideye when he was through on goal.

Yet despite the numerical disadvantage, Bayern added a fourth goal through Kingsley Coman, taking their tally in this season’s competition to 17 goals in five matches.

Despite the heavy defeat, Olympiacos still control their own destiny in the battle to reach the knockout stages.

They host Arsenal in the final round of fixtures knowing a draw will be enough to see them advance to the last 16.

Bayern simply blitzed their opponents in the opening quarter, Costa breaking the deadlock when he slotted home a rebound with his left foot, with visiting goalkeeper Roberto having initially parried Jerome Boateng’s long-range effort.

Lewandowski doubled the home side’s lead, albeit in rather fortuitous circumstances.

Coman’s weak shot unwittingly struck the Polish forward, who then reacted quickly to fire the loose ball into the bottom left corner.

A third goal arrived when Arjen Robben’s clever header back into the centre of the area allowed an unmarked Muller to tap home.

The only disappointment for Bayern in an opening half they dominated was the loss of Robben to injury. The Dutchman headed straight down the tunnel after being replaced by Joshua Kimmich but Bayern later tweeted his withdrawal was merely precautionary.

Badstuber didn’t last the full 90 minutes either, though his departure was due to him being shown a straight red card.

After allowing Ideye to get on the wrong side, the defender compounded his initial error by hauling the former West Brom player to the ground.

Arthur Masuaku curled the resulting free-kick over the bar, and that was about as close as Olympiacos came to scoring while playing 11 against 10.

Bayern, however, had no problems adding to their tally. Coman bravely headed home before colliding with Roberto, leaving the Frenchman with a bloody nose as a reward for his gallantry.

More to follow…

The Bavarian side are almost certainly the strongest team in world football, according to the Olympiacos head coach, ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie

Olympiacos coach Marco Silva feels his players will be facing the best team in the world when they line up against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.

A draw at the Allianz Arena would send both teams through to the last 16 at the expense of Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb, who meet in Group F’s other match.

Having lost 3-0 in the home fixture against Bayern back in September, Silva knows earning a point will be a difficult task against Pep Guardiola’s daunting side.

“We arrive with the same feelings we had when we arrived in London to play Arsenal but Bayern are a stronger team than Arsenal, perhaps the strongest team in the world actually,” Silva said. 

“Bayern were always the favourites in the group. No one would have predicted that Olympiacos would be second after four games and anyone who sees that Olympiacos have nine points would be optimistic. 

“The position we are in is a result of the work that we have done. I am proud of the position of the team and the recognition we have received from all over the world.

“Of course, we will work hard until the end to try to get something here in Munich.”

Midfielder Luka Milivojevic also acknowledged how tough the game is likely to be for Olympiacos as they look to reach the knockout stage.

“We will play against one of the strongest teams in Europe but we will try to find a way to take something positive,” he said.

“Many teams much bigger than us have lost here and it is a big challenge for us.”

The German champions are expected to book their place in the last 16 by triumphing at the Allianz Arena but their goalkeeper is taking nothing for granted

Manuel Neuer has cautioned his Bayern Munich team-mates against the threat posed by Olympiacos in their Champions League Group F match.

The Bavarians were in rampaging form in their last outing in Europe, thrashing Arsenal 5-1 at the Allianz Arena.

Pep Guardiola’s side return to their home stadium on Tuesday to face the Greek champions, who have won both matches on the road so far in the group to lie level on nine points with Bayern after four games.

“We know how strong Olympiacos are away from home – they won in London [against Arsenal] and in Zagreb [against Dinamo],” goalkeeeper Neuer told a media conference.

“Nevertheless, we want to win the game tomorrow and we want to stay top of the group.

“We have used a different line-up in each of our last 64 games – you can see we have a strong squad.”

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One man who could benefit from Guardiola’s preference for such rotation is defender Holger Badstuber.

The Germany international has endured an injury-ravaged period but returned to competitive action earlier this month as a second-half substitute in the 4-0 Bundesliga win over Stuttgart.

“We will see what  Guardiola decides,” he said. “But I am ready to start and am looking forward to the game.

“We have a really good mixture in the team, in terms of quality and spirit.”

Victory would guarantee top spot and a seeded place in the last-16 draw for Bayern – something Badstuber believes to be of paramount importance.

“Securing top spot early would be very important, and for the next round it would give us an advantage,” he added.

“We want to win every single match. Tomorrow we want to produce a good performance.”

The Catalan coach says that he has not named an unchanged line-up for 97 matches because he wants to give everyone some game time

Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has defended his selection policy, insisting that even though he does not pick certain players, he still loves them all.

The Catalan has not named an unchanged line-up for 97 games in all competitions and the former Barcelona coach feels that rotation is the best way to keep his squad both fit and fresh.

Guardiola accepts that some players see more game time than others but he insists that he does not have any favourites and always tries to keep everyone happy.

“For harmony, fitness and mind, rotation is the best solution,” he told reporters on Monday. “I like it when all of the players are getting a game.

“But, of course, there are players who are on the pitch longer than others.

“I don’t have the time to explain every player every week why he does not play.

“If somebody does not play, this does not mean I do not love him. And the players know that.”

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READ MORE  | Lahm: Pep is not irreplaceable

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Guardiola was speaking on the eve of Bayern’s Champions League Group F clash with Olympiacos at the Allianz Arena.

The Bundesliga champions will guarantee top spot and a seeded place in the draw for the round of 16 with a win but the 44-year-old is taking nothing for granted against a side for whom he has the utmost respect.

“We know how strong Olympiacos are,” he said. “They play good football.

“This game is a bit like a final for us. We can qualify for the next round as the top side in the group.

“They will not allow us much space, especially in front of their goal. Their wingers are very quick and they have some tall players too.

“We have to take the right decisions and we obviously want to score as early as possible.

“Last season they qualified for the knockout stage. They have a lot of quality in their squad. That’s why I was very happy with our victory in Athens [on matchday one].”

Guardiola confirmed that David Alaba would again miss training on Monday due to an ankle injury, adding that a late decision would be made on the Austrian defender’s fitness.

“He won’t be training today, we’ll wait and see tomorrow,” he said.