Baum: “It’s hard to pick holes in Bayern’s game”

On Saturday 18th November at 15:30 CET, FCA’s attention will be fully on FC Bayern Munich. It’s clear who’s going into the game as favourites, but Manuel Baum is still hoping to come away with something from his side’s visit to the Allianz Arena. Things are looking good from a personnel perspective ahead of the game on Saturday. Michael Gregoritsch and Alfred Finnbogason are now back with the rest of the squad in training, after being limited recently. Unfortunately, Martin Hinteregger and Sergio Cordova are still dealing with injuries and so will not be available for the derby. In FCA’s last trip to the Allianz Arena, the home side came away with a convincing 6-0 win, although that game isn’t playing on Manuel Baum’s mind any longer. The 38-year-old is more focused on the good performances that his side have of late. Baum emphasised in particular the importance of not holding the champions too highly: “We try to treat every game with the same mentality.” Marwin Hitz also talks of not getting caught up in the moment: “We’ve had a good run lately,” said the goalkeeper. “When we stick to the plan that the coach has given us, things will turn out much better than last time out.” The 30-year-old Switzerland international will be going into the game with the wind in his sails; the Switzerland national side confirmed their place in next year’s World Cup on Monday. “It’s a big weight off our shoulders,” said Hitz. “We were just happy to have made it.” Hitz: “A big boost to our confidence” There’s not much time to celebrate though. FCA’s keeper will have a lot on his plate this Saturday. Bayern are only second to Dortmund as the most prolific team in the Bundesliga with 27 goals, of which top scorer Robert Lewandowski has scored 11. Hitz remains optimistic, however: “We’ve already done well against the other top teams, which has been a big boost to our confidence.” Manuel Baum has spent a lot of time preparing for this game. “When you look at all of the players that they have, it’s hard to pick holes in Bayern’s game,” said the coach, who has a plan on how to attack Germany’s most successful ever team. “Whether it will work is  obviously yet to be seen.” In order to make life as difficult as possible for the reigning champions, Baum wants his team to keep doing what they’ve done so well so far this season. “The key for us is to play our way - with aggression and passion when fighting for the ball.”