FCB to honour World Cup heroes ahead of Bundesliga opener
Munich - FC Bayern München's 2014 FIFA World Cup winners will be honoured before kick-off ahead of the record champions' Bundesliga season opener against VfL Wolfsburg at the Allianz Arena on Friday.
'Great success'
Bayern sextet , , , , and all played pivotal roles as Germany won their fourth World Cup thanks to a in Rio de Janeiro on 13 July.
“We'll remember this summer of football for years and decades to come,” club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told the club's official fan journal Bayern-Magazin. “We were lucky enough to see a fantastic World Cup. Germany deserved to win it, and FC Bayern's players enjoyed some great success at the tournament.”
Looking ahead to the clash, captain Philipp Lahm, who announced his retirement from the national team following the triumph in Brazil, says he and the team are raring to go against the Wolves, even with so many absentees - Schweinsteiger, Thiago Alcantara, Javi Martinez, Rafinha and Franck Ribery miss our with injury, while Boateng is suspended. "It's obviously not ideal, but the mood among the players is still excellent.
Badstuber's comeback?
With both Martinez and Boateng set to miss out, Holger Badstuber could be set for his first Bundesliga appearance in almost two years since suffering a cruciate knee ligament in a game against Borussia Dortmund in November 2012. "They're a dangerous team that have signed players with a lot of potential. I'd be delighted if I got the chance to play," said the 25-year-old.
Record champions Bayern will kick off the defence of their title against Dieter Hecking's VfL side, who finished fifth last season, at 18:30 GMG/20:30 CET.
Click here for a list of top-flight broadcasters for this weekend's matches in your territory.
