Bayern Munchen - Fiorentina

Hope

As their worst start in about three decades finally was given a glimmer of hope, Jurgen Klinsmann seemed to be a man of his word and seemingly sticking to his guns, saying, “You naturally have to acknowledge the fairer criticism; however at the same time ignore the irrelevant comments.” Having had time to himself over the past week and a half while the majority of his first squad was away on international duty, Klinsmann was left with a total of nine players and a simple sketch board.

Though his rotational system was once again in use, he made some changes to his squad at weekend against Karlsruhe.

Coming off the bench for his first start in 3 weeks was captain Mark van Bommel, while Demichaels was taken back to the defense after having a holding midfield-cum-anchor role. The chances seemed to have worked, however the to often noticeable lack of flow and overall cohesion seems to have been left to chance as he opted for a starting XI who were match fit. Though earning a very crucial 1-0 away win, the Munich side are forced to set their sites on the short term, as they will now be faced with a grueling 7 matches in the next 3 weeks. Seemingly, the most important will be Tuesday’s matchup with Tuscan giants, Fiorentina.

Having won their last 3 league matches, albeit to lower label opponents, the Viola seem on the surface to be by and large match fit.

Rhythm

The Florentine side, who currently sit a respectable 7th in the table have only begun to find an acceptable rhythm in the league. To date, they have been able to heavily rely on superb goaltending and an average defensive system, while having only averaged 1.2 goals per game in Serie A. Their matchup against Bayern will depend largely on whether or not Cesare Prandelli decides if Adrian Mutu is match fit, while having rested him against Reggina largely due to a knee issue.

If Mutu is however not available, there have been two major bright spots for the Viola, namely Alberto Gilardino and Stevan Jovetic. Gilardino, having scored 12 goals in all competitions, is truly the only goal scoring threat this season. Jovetic on the other hand, having only made a small number of appearances, is looking to make his mark on the side who have high hopes of edging out some tougher competition for top spots in the group Tuesday.

When looking at the big picture Tuesday, the games fate and that of at least one manager will rest on an updated squad list and revised tactical measures. Both Bayern and ACF are going to be lucky to get any points outside of a clean and dull draw, however fitness of key scorers will be the key.

If Luca Toni does end up making an appearance again his former side, then one could bet that it will be all hands on deck, as the “thunder and lightning” will once again clap for the red and whites.

Bayern

After a largely successful World Cup qualification campaign, the majority of the Bayern squad will be match fit. Some question marks are being raised as to the availability of Luca Toni after he was substituted for injured ribs, however he is likely to return on Tuesday or not the following match day. Two other key notes are the minor sprains affecting both Miro Klose and Frank Ribery. They to were taken off the field due to slight pain, though look to be rested and fit.
Probable Starting XI: Rensing - Oddo, Lucio, Demichelis, Lahm - Schweinsteiger, van Bommel, Zé Roberto, Ribery - Klose, Podolski

Fiorentina

This weekend’s 3-0 thrashing of Reggina was without a doubt a massive lift for the Viola. As a few members of the regular rotation were sidelined precaution for Tuesdays match with FCB, only Martin Jorgensen and Franco Semioli are going to miss action through injury. Both Stevan Jovetic and Gilardino might not see the green until late, though both had outstanding performances in the league and might be fit enough to make a start if called upon.

Probable Starting XI: Frey- Danielli, Gamberini, Gobbi, Commoto- Melo, Donadel, Kuzmanovic- Jovetic, Pazzini, Mutu

posted by Midnight Sun @ 19:48,

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