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Schweinsteiger Not Quite Fit; Götze, Højbjerg Close to Training
With delightful news flowing out of Säbener Straße in regards to the injured, here are the updates on the status of players on the brink of return, and others still on the mend:
Bastian Schweinsteiger (ankle): Despite Pep Guardiola's "green light", Schweinsteiger's fitness is still not in a place where he wants it to be.
"That’s too early. The ankle felt good but, of course, the fitness is not back to where it should be.
"I’m delighted to have been able to play for 20 minutes."
"That was okay. I had just returned to training. I was only there as an emergency back-up. That was all arranged with the coach."
- Kicker via ESPN FC
His quotes indicate that Philipp Lahm will once again start in the holding midfield role, with Rafinha playing right fullback. He has come off the bench twice since his return to the team sheet
Mario Götze (ankle) and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (ankle): FC Bayern tweeted this very delightful image, much to the satisfaction of Götze and Højbjerg fans around the globe:
.@MarioGoetze and Pierre-Emile #Højbjerg having fun at their individual training session. pic.twitter.com/5i3E6bIiFf
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) September 18, 2013
If you think that's good, wait until you hear this.
...if all goes according to plan, Götze and Hojbjerg should be able to join in parts of the squad workout in a couple of days.
FC Bayern have not lost a point in Götze's absence, and FC Bayern II have only lost one match without Højbjerg. Now both sides get their respective star players back. A depleted midfield is starting to become lush again.
Javi Martinez (groin): While his news is also good, Martínez is a little farther away from returning. He is off crutches, and it looks like he's training in his own version of lederhosen.
Entrenamiento de hoy/ Todays training pic.twitter.com/InkglEXlR6
— Javi Martínez (@Javi8martinez) September 14, 2013
Martínez is doing only executing rehab exercises – stabalisation and strength-building – and will take it easy after he has a dental surgery, the website reports. The pace of his rehab will depend on how his groin recovers from surgery, so there is no distinct timetable.
Thiago Alcantara (ankle) and Holger Badstuber (ACL): The two the farthest away are still Thiago and Badstuber, although that is expected for the injuries they have. Thiago will need a boot for three more weeks, and Badstuber will undergo his final round (hopefully) of surgery in the US at the end of September.
In Case You Missed It...
- FC Bayern's U19 team lost their first UEFA Youth League match to CSKA Moskva U19. Stanislav Georgievsky opened the scoring in the 64th minute, and Viktor Borzykh scored off the bench in the 88th minute. The U19 squad have lost three straight games after winning three in a row to start the season. They play SC Freiburg U19 on Saturday in the U19 Bundesliga.
- FC Bayern won the Champions League again! Well...kind of... FC Bayern's website won the Champions League of Websites 2013/14, scoring 96 out of a possible 100 points. Arsenal's finished in second with 95, and Atlético Madrid's finished third with 94.
Enjoy the rest of your week! And thanks for reading.