Bordeaux eye qualification - 7M sport

Bordeaux eye qualification

Posted Tuesday, November 03, 2009 by PA

Bordeaux will travel to Bayern Munich in confident mood, knowing a win will see them reach the knockout stage of the Champions League and leave their German opponents struggling to progress.

A 2-1 victory at the Stade Chaban-Delmas a fortnight ago took Laurent Blanc's side to the top of Group A, three points clear of Bayern and two ahead of Juventus.

Another win at the Allianz Arena would ensure Bordeaux secure at least one of the top two positions in the group and leave Bayern to battle it out with Juve for the other.

And that is the French side's aim, according to defender Mathieu Chalme,

"We are going there looking for a win, but a draw could also be a good result," he said.

"If we have the chance to win the game, then we will do so."

Nevertheless, the Bordeaux right-back does not think the game will be as one-sided as it was in France a fortnight ago, when Bayern were fortunate to lose by only one goal with their goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt saving two penalties.

If there is going to be one-way traffic in Munich, Chalme expects it to come in the opposite direction.

"We know that a big club in Europe like Bayern can stick three past us and beat us," he said.

"They are going to be at home and they will be motivated to do well after their defeat at our place."

A 1-0 win over Monaco on Saturday, a result which kept Bordeaux at the top of Ligue 1, will have given Les Girondins enough confidence to face Bayern without any fear, even in their own back yard.

"We were desperate to beat Monaco because we had lost our last two games away," Chalme said.

"That has done us good and now we go to Munich in a relaxed mood. It's always better to prepare for Champions League games after victories than after defeats."

The match is a pivotal one in Bayern's season.

Having drawn 0-0 at Stuttgart on Saturday, the Bavarians have slipped to sixth in the Bundesliga, five points adrift of league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Coach Louis van Gaal knows his side cannot afford any more slip-ups.

"We want to go through so we have got to win," he said.

The Dutchman will be without the suspended Daniel Van Buyten and Thomas Muller, who both picked up red cards in France.

Martin Demichelis should replace the former, but Arjen Robben is not quite fit enough to start in place of Muller, although Van Gaal says he could still play a decisive role.

"He will certainly not start, but he has always scored goals as a super-sub and that is also important," he said.

Luca Toni should return to the starting XI after being left out in Stuttgart on Saturday.

"I chose Mario (Gomez) against Stuttgart because it was his former club and sometimes you can use things like that to make the difference," explained Van Gaal.

"Furthermore, I wanted to rest Luca, who has played four games in a row, in view of the match against Bordeaux."

Tag:


Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.