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Sports / Football

Football: Bayern injury crisis leaves Guardiola guessing

Published: 03 May 2015 - 03:33 pm | Last Updated: 14 Jan 2022 - 06:09 pm

 

 

 


Berlin--Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has no idea who will play against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final this week as injuries take a mounting toll.
While a rampant Barcelona warmed up for Wednesday's tie with an 8-0 hammering of Cordoba in La Liga, Guardiola watched an ailing Bayern lose 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen and then acknowledged his Champions League doubts.
"We don't know yet about the line-up against Barca," he said.
"As for Robert Lewandowski and Franck Ribery, we just don't know if they are ready -- and we don't know when we will know.
"Our line-up is not yet settled," he said.
Bayern already know they will be without Arjen Robben who tore a calf muscle in his return from injury last week and will now miss the rest of the season.
Top scorer Lewandowski fractured his cheekbone and suffered concussion in the same German Cup semi-final defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
French ace Ribery has been sidelined since injuring an ankle on March 11.
Bayer Leverkusen scored twice past Germany's World Cup hero Manuel Neuer to stop the goalkeeper claiming a slice of Bayern Munich history.
Neuer needs one more clean sheet to beat Oliver Kahn's record of 19 Bayern games in a season without conceding a goal.
Leverkusen's Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu fired a direct free kick from 25 metres through the Bayern wall and past Neuer.
In the second half, Karim Bellarabi tore through the Bayern defence in a brilliant length of the field run before passing to Julian Brandt who claimed an easy goal on his 19th birthday.
Guardiola remained upbeat about the performance.

AFP