Bayern Munich can return to the top of the Bundesliga for the first
time since winning the title in 2008 if it beats Hoffenheim when
the season resumes Friday.
The German powerhouse has gone 51 games - or a season and a
half - without topping the standings.
"I think we haven't lost much during the short break,"
striker Ivica Olic said. "We don't want to have the same start as
we had at the beginning of the season. We want to play like we did
before the break."
After a stuttering start under new coach Louis van Gaal,
Bayern hit its stride and won its last four games before the break
to move into third place on 33 points, behind leader Bayer
Leverkusen (35) and Schalke (34).
"We are ready," Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger
said. "We have the chance to reach first place with a win against
Hoffenheim and that wouldn't be that bad."
The Bundesliga cut its winter break by half, reducing it to
three weeks, because the season will end early due to the World Cup
in South Africa. The Bundesliga, which takes a longer break than
any other major league in Europe, is thinking of keeping a shorter
hiatus, despite opposition from most coaches.
While Bayern was keen not to lose too much of the momentum it
built up in December, the short break also meant winger Franck
Ribery has not had time to recover from his latest injury setback -
inflamed big toes on both feet.
Ribery was not able to practice with the team during a week's
training camp in Dubai and will not be in the squad against
Hoffenheim. The France midfielder made only six Bundesliga
appearances in the first 17 matches because of various problems,
including tendinitis in his knee.
Fellow winger Arjen Robben appears to have recovered from an
ankle injury and should be in contention.
"I think he will be fit and then he will play," Van Gaal said
after his team won 3-1 at FC Basel this week in its final warm-up
match.
Unlike most Bundesliga teams, Hoffenheim stayed home during
the break to prepare at its new training center.
"Maybe it's an advantage, we've gotten used to the cold,"
defender Andreas Beck said.
Hoffenheim, which is seventh on 25 points, will be without
Chinedu Obasi and Isaac Vorsah, who are at the African Cup of
Nations. Playmaker Carlos Eduardo has a tendon problem in his knee
and could miss out, but midfielder Sejad Salihovic is back after a
groin operation.
"All my players have to give their maximum, which was not
always the case in the first half of the season," coach Ralf
Rangnick said. "If we gain more points in the second half, we can
achieve our goal of finishing in the top five."
Leverkusen is still undefeated but has a history of fading in
the second half of the season. Coach Jupp Heynckes will be
encouraged by the return of defender Michal Kadlec, midfielders
Simon Rolfes and Renato Augusto and striker Patrick Helmes, who are
all coming back after long-term injuries.
Their return gives Leverkusen a deep bench and Heynckes is
confident his team will not slump as it has in previous seasons.
"We have more players now and we are playing at a very high
level," the coach said.
Leverkusen hosts promoted Mainz, which sits ninth and is one
of the surprises of the season, on Saturday.
But arguably the biggest surprise has been Schalke, which
appears revitalized under coach Felix Magath, who came to
Gelsenkirchen in the summer after guiding Wolfsburg to its first
title.
Magath has added some young players to his squad, as he did
at Wolfsburg, and acquired midfielder Alexander Baumjohann from
Bayern.
Schalke's first match is on Sunday against next-to-last
Nuremberg, which has brought in new coach Dieter Hecking to replace
Michael Oenning, who was fired.
The match was in doubt because of a 150 square-meter (1,615
square-foot) hole that has opened in the roof of the Schalke Arena.
But safety experts have given the go-ahead for the match.
Although Germany has been struggling with snow and freezing
temperatures for days, league officials say none of the matches are
under threat.
Saturday's other matches are: Hannover vs. Hertha Berlin,
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Werder Bremen, Borussia Moenchengladbach
vs. Bochum, Hamburger SV vs. Freiburg and Stuttgart vs. Wolfsburg.
On Sunday, Cologne hosts Borussia Dortmund.
