FROM LEFT: Bayern Munich’s striker Thomas Mueller, midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and defender Philipp Lahm arrive for a training session ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group D match against Czech’s Viktoria Plzen in Munich, southern Germany, yesterday. RIGHT: Real Madrid’s Argentine midfielder Angel Di Maria (left) and Wales’ Gareth Bale train at Valdebebas Sports Complex in Madrid, yesterday. Real Madrid will face Juventus in the UEFA Champions League Group B match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium today.
MUNICH, Germany: Dutch winger Arjen Robben has insisted under-firing Bayern Munich must prove their mettle as European champions against Czech side Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League today.
After convincing wins at home to CSKA Moscow and away to Manchester City, Bayern are top of Group D ahead of the visit of Czech champions Plzen.
While Bayern have had no problems producing stylish performances against perceived big name clubs, they have struggled on occasion in the Bundesliga this season against low-ranking sides.
Despite running out 4-1 winners at home to Mainz 05 on Saturday, Bayern were punished for a lethargic first-half when they went into the break behind before scoring four goals without replay.
Robben says Munich can ill afford a repeat against Plzen, who have lost both of their opening matches in Europe and are bottom of the group.
“They won’t be coming here just to hand us the victory,” warned Robben.
“We’ll have to be up for it from the start.”
Having drubbed Moscow 3-0 in Munich and City 3-1 in Manchester, Bayern have laboured in the Bundesliga with a 1-1 draw at second-from-bottom Freiburg and posted below-par 1-0 wins over Wolfsburg and Frankfurt. Bayern have fallen into the habit of turning on the style for an impressive victory after a poor first-half on occasion and it is something coach Pep Guardiola wants to change.
“We need to find out why this is,” said Guardiola, who refused to blame the first-half performance against Mainz on the international break.
“I want to see improvement very soon.
“I don’t want the fans to think it’s only worth turning up to the stadium for the second half.”
Bayern will be without Brazil centre-back Dante, after he needed 10 stitches in an ankle wound in the first-half against Mainz, while France winger Franck Ribery should be fit despite suffering an ankle injury last week.
Plzen trail Sparta Prague by six points in the Czech league after winning only one of the last four league games.
On Saturday, they drew 1-1 at home with Slavia Prague who were sitting last in the table and coach Pavel Vrba has said a similar performance against Bayern would be a “disaster”.
“We keep making the same mistakes, this concerns two or three players in the backline,” he said.
“If we don’t improve our defence, the Bayern game will be a disaster, they would punish our mistakes badly.”
Vrba is being touted as a future coach of the Czech national side after they failed to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil that will take place next year.
The 49-year-old has a contract at Plzen until 2015 and despite pressure to let Vrba step up to coach the Czech Republic, his club is reluctant to let him go after the won the national league at a canter last season.
Plzen will miss injured left-back David Limbersky, out with a torn hamstring, while ex-Hertha Berlin defender Roman Hubnik may be called up to boost the wobbly defence.
Having lost 3-0 at home to Manchester City and 3-2 away to CSKA Moscow, a third straight defeat would effectively end the Czech champions chance of reaching the knock-out phase.
Meanwhile, Italian champions Juventus travel to face Real Madrid desperately needing to kickstart their Champions League campaign.
Juve could only manage disappointing draws against FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray in their opening two games, leaving them four points adrift of Madrid.
And their confidence ahead of the daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu wasn’t helped by a first league defeat of the season on Sunday as Fiorentina came from 2-0 down to beat Antonio Conte’s men 4-2.
Conte described his side’s second-half meltdown at the Artemio Franchi as a “nightmare”.
However, he is hoping his side’s experience will help them to get over the disappointment of defeat quickly.
“The game against Real Madrid didn’t condition the game. When you are on the pitch it is difficult to think about the next game,” he said.
“It is inexplicable with the experience that we have.
“It annoys us to lose, but we have to forget it quickly. We are a mature team.”
Juve’s two points from their opening two games mean they lead Galatasaray and Copenhagen by a solitary point and are likely to have to take points from Madrid to avoid a tense showdown with the Turkish champions for second place in the final game in Istanbul.
There have been no such problems for Madrid in their opening two group games as they set a new competition record for the most prolific start by firing 10 goals past Galatasaray and Copenhagen.AGENCIES
