Bayern Munich begins its chase of leader Borussia Dortmund with a new goalkeeper and a recovered Arjen Robben as probably its biggest asset in the second half of the Bundesliga season.
Bayern trails Dortmund by 14 points and has three other clubs between them but the defending champions are still considered to be the most serious challenger.
“If we win in Wolfsburg, we can achieve everything,” Bayern coach Louis van Gaal said. “Dortmund is far away and our immediate goal is second place. But I still believe we can win the championship.”
Dortmund is 10 points clear of Mainz and Bayer Leverkusen before their clash yesterday in Leverkusen.
Leverkusen beat Dortmund 2-0 in the opening match of the season but Dortmund didn’t lose again until the final game before the winter break.
Bayern will be waiting just for a victory for Leverkusen.
Robben and Franck Ribery, Bayern’s top stars and key players, are finally free of injuries and looked impressive in training during the winter break.
Robben hasn’t played a match since the Netherlands’ loss in the World Cup final against Spain in July. Van Gaal thinks Robben is still not fit for a full match and is likely to ease the Dutchman into the team.
“After six months on the sidelines, you can’t expect to be in top shape immediately. I need some time to reach my level,” Robben said on Thursday.
Van Gaal confirmed this week that 22-year-old Thomas Kraft will be his new first-choice goalkeeper instead of 36-year-old veteran Hans-Joerg Butt.
Kraft played in two Champions League games after Bayern had already qualified for the next round but is yet to play in the Bundesliga.
“I have great confidence that he will make it. You have to give a player a chance, otherwise you won’t know if he can do it or not,” Van Gaal said. “If he can’t manage it, then Butt will be No. 1 again. But you can’t tell after only one game.”
Bayern now also has midfielder Luiz Gustavo, signed from Hoffenheim, who excels in defensive duties.
Against Bayern, struggling Wolfsburg begins its life after Edin Dzeko. Steve McClaren’s team is languishing in 13th place and still has to invest the millions it earned from sending the striker to Manchester City.
Mainz, one of the surprise teams, will look to stay near the top when it visits next-to-last Stuttgart, which still has to improve significantly under new coach Bruno Labbadia.
Hannover, also a major surprise in fourth place – two points ahead of Bayern – visits Eintracht Frankfurt tomorrow.
In other matches today, Werder Bremen hosts Hoffenheim without coach Ralf Rangnick, who left the club in disagreement with the release of Gustavo to Bayern, Nuremberg hosts last-place Borussia Moenchengladbach, St. Pauli meets Freiburg and Schalke plays Hamburger SV.aiserslautern hosts Cologne.