Holger Badstuber knows that Bayern Munich are in for a tough test on Friday when they begin their Bundesliga title defence at home to Wolfsburg.continue to see full match preview...
Pep
Guardiola's men raced to a second successive title in record time last
season and were confirmed as champions with seven matches remaining.
Bayern
eventually finished 19 points clear of nearest challengers Borussia
Dortmund, having scored 94 goals and conceding just 23, winning 29 of
their 34 matches in total.
Before starting in Bayern's 4-1
DFB-Pokal win over Preussen Munster on Sunday, Badstuber's last
competitive appearance for the club came back in December 2012, when he
tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a league clash with Dortmund.
Friday's
opponents Wolfsburg finished fifth at the end of last season, missing
out on Champions League football by one point. And Badstuber, while
excited at the prospect of a return to action, is aware that Bayern must
be mindful of the threat posed by their visitors to the Allianz Arena.
"I've worked towards this for a very long time and I'm looking forward to it!" he said.
"Wolfsburg
are dangerous, because they've brought in a lot of potential in recent
years. They have plenty of hungry players who are aiming high."
Guardiola looks set to be without a number of key men for the visit of Dieter Hecking's side.
Jerome
Boateng is suspended, while Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger and
Thiago Alcantara (all knee) are out. Rafinha (ankle) is also set to miss
the clash, while Franck Ribery is carrying a knock and will be absent.
Edged out 1-0 in the corresponding fixture last season, Wolfsburg were soundly thrashed 6-1 at home in March.
Hecking is hopeful that Sebastian Jung - signed from Eintracht Frankfurt
during the off-season - can recover from a muscular problem and help
shore up his side's defensive line.
"Sebastian trained with the team again for the first time," he said. "That went very well.
"We'll
have to wait and see how the muscle reacts to the added strain now. So
long as there are no changes, then Sebastian will not be in doubt."
Goalkeeper
Diego Benaglio remains a doubt after suffering from flu, while new
arrival Nicklas Bendtner is not yet match-fit and Wolfsburg still hold
concerns over the availability of former Bayern man Luiz Gustavo,
following a gruelling World Cup campaign with Brazil.
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