European football preview: Bayern Munich prepare for Werder Bremen
Make no bones about it. Bayern Munich were left reeling after their shock 2-0 defeat against newly-promoted Kaiserslautern last week.
Louis van Gaal’s side will need to produce a dramatically improved performance to take anything from their next Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen on Saturday afternoon.
Both sides have begun the new campaign in mediocre fashion with a win and a defeat apiece, but if previous encounters between the two are anything to go by, the standout fixture of the weekend in Germany promises to be a thriller.
Friday night’s Bundesliga match sees second-place Hoffenheim face struggling Schalke at the Rhein-Neckar Arena. Both clubs managed to bolster their respective squads before the transfer window closed last week. Former Real Madrid and AC Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is set to feature for Schalke this evening, partnering the legendary Raul in attack, while Hoffeinheim will hand a debut to new £7million signing Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Outside of Germany, Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are both in action again on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s Barça carried on from where they left off last season with a 3-0 win over Racing Santander on the opening weekend of the campaign, but their rivals failed to break down Mallorca in José Mourinho’s first competitive match in charge of the club.
This weekend, Barça take on newly-promoted Hercules, who have recently added French striker David Trezeguet and Real Madrid full-back Royston Drenthe (on loan) to their ranks. A daunting trip to the Nou Camp awaits Hercules, whose aim is simple: avoid a humiliating defeat against the reigning champions. Which, of course, is far easier said than done.
As for Mourinho and Real, picking up their first three points of the season against Osasuna is now imperative. The world’s most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is out injured, but the Madridistas possess more than enough quality to roll their opponents over at the Bernabeu without their prized asset.
Over In Italy, Rafael Benitez will take charge of his first league match at the San Siro since arriving at Inter Milan this summer. The Nerazzurri face Udinese on Saturday, and must win to keep the pressure up on co-tenants AC Milan.
The Rossoneri’s formidable attack, which now consists of Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho, Filippo Inzaghi and new-signings Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be unleashed against Cesena this weekend. It’ll be fascinating to see how Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri utilises the quintet this weekend, as the new manager bids for his second consecutive Serie A win.
Then, on Sunday, Juventus take on high-flying Sampdoria at the Stadio Olimpico. After their defeat against Bari on the opening weekend, Juve will relish the prospect of defeating Samp for their first win of the campaign. But with the mercurial Antonio Cassano in-tow, the visitors won’t lack belief, and will be confident of making it two wins from two.
And finally, in Ligue 1, the pressure is on Lyon to get back to winning ways after a disappointing start to the season. Just one win from their opening four matches is hardly championship-winning form. In fact, Claude Puel’s men currently languish fourth from bottom in the French top-flight.
Les Gones take on mid-table Valenciennes at the Stade de Gerland on Saturday, and will be hoping that new signing Yoann Gourcuff finally finds his feet at the club and begins to dominate proceedings in the way everyone knows he’s capable.
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