Arjen Robben (r.) was inspirational once again as Bayern Munich defeated neighbours Unterhaching in a friendly on Sunday
Arjen Robben (r.) was inspirational once again as Bayern Munich defeated neighbours Unterhaching in a friendly on Sunday

Robben: "We're all motivated"

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Munich - Before things get serious again for FC Bayern Munich with next weekend's Matchday 18 clash against Bavarian rivals Greuther Fürth, Arjen Robben gave his take on the team's preparations ahead of the big Bundesliga restart.

Speaking after Bayern's 2-0 friendly victory over local outfit SpVgg Unterhaching, the Dutch international shared his personal ambitions for the remainder of the campaign and explained why he's convinced Bayern are destined to win back the title this term.

Question: Arjen Robben, how are you? How fit do you feel after all your injury woes in the first half of the season?

Robben: I’m feeling good. You’ve just got to keep on going. The important thing is gaining match practice. I played another full 90 minutes today and that certainly helps.

Question: Competition for places is rife in the Bayern squad. That could even mean an Arjen Robben sitting on the bench next weekend... How do you deal with that personally?

Robben: I don’t really want to say too much about that. Of course it’s something I think about. I was injured a lot during the first half of the season which was a shame and obviously really disappointing, but now I’m back. I feel like I'm getting back to my previous best and you could see that at times today. I think the people here know what I'm capable of so I don’t have any fear at all.

Question: Of course you aim to be in the starting eleven, but do you think that you'll be starting a Bundesliga game in the near future?

Robben: I always expect to start, but I've said often enough that I can understand the situation - I said that at the start of our training camp. The team played fantastically in the first half of the season and now I'm back again. Of course I'm not just going to stand at the back of the line - I'll look for an opportunity. However, what’s important is that we carry on being successful as a team - as we are doing.

Question: Following on from that: why do you think Bayern will win the Bundesliga this season?

Robben: Because we have the right players for it and we have a better squad than last season, and we're fully focused. We're all motivated and I think that's the most important thing of all.

Benedikt Büschleb reporting from Munich