adminBERLIN. — German Bundesliga soccer leaders Bayern Munich host Hamburg today with coach Pep Guardiola hoping the champions have learned from their shock midweek defeat at home to Manchester City.Bayern had their record 10-match Champions League winning streak abruptly halted when City hit back from two goals down to inflict a 3-2 defeat on Guardiola’s side, who nonetheless still qualified for the last 16 as group winners.
Bayern can extend their record unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 41 games against Bert van Marwijk’s Hamburg.
“A defeat is never good but perhaps this club, the coach and the team needed a defeat to know how hard it is to win games in the Bundesliga and in Europe,” said Guardiola.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness said the defeat had merely served to act as a wake-up call and should halt any complacent ideas within the squad.
Hamburg, who have risen up from near the relegation places under ex-Netherlands manager Van Marwijk, are hoping lightning strikes twice at the Allianz Arena.
Fixtures
Today: Bayern Munich v Hamburg, Hanover 96 v Nuremberg, Hoffenheim v Borussia Dortmund, Mainz 05 v Borussia Moenchengladbach, Augsburg v Eintracht Braunschweig, VfL Wolfsburg v VfB Stuttgart
Tomorrow: Schalke v Freiburg, Bayer Leverkusen v Eintracht Frankfurt — AFP.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu