FC Bayern Munchen
Bayern Munich's two top strikers Claudio Pizarro and Roy Makaay were injured in their 3-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday ahead of Wednesday's Champion League quarter-final first-leg showdown with Chelsea. While Pizarro, who has a torn right thigh muscle, will be out of action for 10 to 12 days and definitely miss Wednesday's match in London, the extent of an injury to Makaay's right thigh was still unclear on Sunday.
Dutch striker Makaay came off the pitch in the 56th minute on Saturday limping slightly and was unable to take part in Sunday's training in Munich because of problems with his thigh muscle, Bayern Munich said on Sunday. 'I hope we can get that fixed up by Wednesday,' said Bayern coach Felix Magath. 'A complete loss of our attack would be quite problematic.' Peru's Pizarro scored two goals to lead Bayern past Arsenal last month and into the quarter-finals against Chelsea. 'That's obviously a blow for us and a hole we'll have to fill,' Magath said of Pizarro's injury. He is expected to replace Pizarro with fellow Peruvian Paolo Guerrero. The victory over Wolfsburg, Bayern's fifth in its last six league matches, kept them top of the German Bundesliga.
After emerging from their disciplinary hearing at UEFA last Thursday with little more than a polite slap on the wrist, Chelsea go into their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern in buoyant mood and Kahn suggests all the pressure is on their opponents as they prepare for the first leg in London.
You wonder whether some of his words are a strategic ploy designed to build pressure on the competition favourites, but his sentiments appear to be sincere as he heaps praise on the runaway English Premiership leaders. 'Chelsea are the highest profile club in Europe at the moment, so we are the clear outsiders in this game,' begins the 36-year-old keeper who is viewing this as his best chance to add another Champions League crown to his collection before he hangs up his gloves. 'This is going to be an explosive game and all the pressure in on Chelsea. This is not a situation Bayern Munich are used to. Every opponent we face is the underdog, so now we have the other role to play. We know how tough it can be to live up to expectations, so let's see how Chelsea handle the situation. 'Against Barcelona, they were magnificent and seemed to enjoy the pressure. Then you look at Arsenal, who we played in the last round, and they were not ready to cope when we asked them some questions. Some English teams handle these games better than others. 'While Arsenal were highly fancied by many in the media, I don't think there's any question that we were the better side over both legs. We were set up very well tactically and apart from the last minutes of the first-leg, kept our concentration perfectly.' Kahn refutes the suggestion that Chelsea are on their way to buying the position of top dog in European football and believes the vast financial injection from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich should not be viewed as negative for the game. 'The money Chelsea have been able to spend helps, of course it does, but it doesn't guarantee success,' he confirms. 'In many ways, Bayern have advantages in Germany as we can sign the best players, but you do not automatically win the title or the Champions League. 'That's where Chelsea did well in bringing in Mourinho as coach. He's a winner and has shown that he is a great builder of an organised side. Porto won the Champions League fair and square last season and now he is doing something special at Chelsea. 'Apart from the individual class of players like Lampard, Makelele, Cech, Terry, Duff and others, there is a heart and soul to them too. It's in their psyche to battle to the end. They don't give in and it's a great quality.' Bayern boss Felix Magath is convinced his side are well placed to unsettle a Chelsea side that may be flagging after a draining season in England and his confidence is in stark contrast to Kahn.