Bayern Munich celebrate after Robben scores during the German first division Bundesliga football match against Hertha Berlin in Munich, southern Germany, on September 21, 2016
BERLIN, Germany, Oct 20 – FC Bayern Munchen will be bidding for a first win over Borussia Mönchengladbach since January 2014 as they look to get their Bundesliga campaign back on track in the weekend’s biggest match on Friday.
The two sides will be seeking to build on their victories in their respective Uefa Champions League played on Wednesday.
Bayern returned to winning ways with a morale-boosting 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in Group D while Lars Stindl and Andre Hahn inspired Mönchengladbach to a 2-0 win over Celtic in Group C.
In their previous Bundesliga match, Bayern were held to a 2-2 draw away to 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt, leaving coach Carlo Ancelotti angry with his team’s display and promised to make changes.
“We didn’t play well and showed the wrong attitude,” said the Italian. “We went to sleep for the first 45 minutes and that is too much in any game. We can lose concentration for a few minutes, that can happen, but not for that long. I will change that, I will make changes to the team.”
After dropping points against Köln and Eintracht in their last two games, Ancelotti’s side will be determined to get back to winning ways against their old rivals Gladbach.
The Foals were the only side the Bavarians failed to beat in the Bundesliga last season, and they will be out to set the record straight at the Allianz Arena. Bayern, who are two points clear at the top, haven’t gone three top-flight games without a win since May last year.
Gladbach could also do with a boost after being thrashed by Schalke 04 and playing out a frustrating draw with Hamburger SV in their last two.
The Foals may not enjoy the same rivalry with Bayern that they did in the 1970s, when the pair shared nine straight Bundesliga titles, but they have become a thorn in the champions’ side in recent seasons.
Andre Schubert’s charges certainly won’t be overwhelmed at the Allianz, where they have only lost once since 2011, as they look to move up towards the European places. The match will be live on StarTimes World Football channel.
Before then Hamburg entertain Eintracht tonight. Although Hamburg ended a run of five straight losses last weekend against Gladbach, they are yet to taste victory in the campaign.
This will be their fourth attempt to upset the odds on home soil, but having scored just once in the fantastically named Volksparkstadion this season, Eintracht are the obvious favourites.
Off the back of an impressive 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich, and the fact they are unbeaten in their last eight encounters versus Hamburg, Eintracht will be motivated and confident of winning on their travels.
Tomorrow’s other matches will see Bayer Leverkusen welcome Hoffenheim as Freiburg host Augsburg.
Former champions Borussia Dortmund, who are four points off the leaders visit basement side Ingolstadt as 14th-placed Wolfsburg visit Darmstadt who are just a point behind them at 15th.
Fourth-placed Hertha Berlin visit Cologne. On Sunday, third-placed Leipzig welcome Werder Bremen as Schalke host Mainz 05 at the Veltins Arena. All the matches will be live across Startimes’ sports channels.
In the Italian Serie A, a high-profile encounter beckons as champions and table-toppers face third-placed AC Milan at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in San Siro tomorrow.
Milan began their season by losing two of their first three games before going on a five-game unbeaten run, which is a good sign that the players are connecting well with new head coach Vincenzo Montella.
“Saturday night’s match will be important to stay in the top positions, and if we win against Juve they will only be two points ahead of us,” said Milan defender Mattia De Sciglio.
“This clash has always meant a lot to us in the past, and I think it will also mean a lot in the future.
We have the chance to take our revenge for the Coppa Italia final and we will face the team who are currently top of the table. The Old Lady is just coming off a tough 1-0 win over Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
After the match, the coach of Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri looked ahead to tomorrow’s match saying:
“We’ll need to make our play nice and quick against Milan, which is something we failed to do in the first half tonight.
The Rossoneri are a very good, young side and if we don’t match them for running then it’ll be a tough night.” The match will be live on StarTimes’ Sports Arena channel.
