GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Bayern Munich prepare for Champions League Group E match against Cluj

Record ID: 860245

  • Title: GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Bayern Munich prepare for Champions League Group E match against Cluj
  • Date: 19th October 2010
  • Summary: MUNICH, GERMANY (OCTOBER 18, 2010) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF BAYERN MUNICH'S TRAINING GROUND BAYERN MUNICH LOGO OUTSIDE BUILDING EMPTY PITCH SIGN READING "NO PUBLIC TRAINING TODAY" GERMAN CAPTAIN AND BAYERN DEFENDER PHILIP LAHM ARRIVING WITH A BAG OF SOCCER BALLS, FOLLOWED BY COACH LOUIS VAN GAAL PLAYERS LEAVING BUILDING PAN ACROSS PITCH TRACKING SHOT OF VAN GAAL FORWARD MARIO GOMEZ (WITH HEADBAND) WALKING PAST CAMERAMAN FILMING / REPORTER DOING PIECE TO CAMERA PLAYERS RUNNING DURING WARM-UP TRAINING, LED BY LAHM PLAYERS STRETCHING DURING WARM-UP TRAINING CAMERA CREWS FILMING LAHM LEADING PLAYERS DURING STRETCHING EXERCISE WIDE SHOT OF PLAYERS VAN GAAL WATCHING PLAYERS RUNNING GOMEZ AND MIDFIELDER HAMIT ALTINTOP STRETCHING AND WALKING PAST, MIDFIELDER BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER (RED HAT) LAST IN LINE PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES SCHWEINSTEIGER JUMPING INTO THE AIR AND RUNNING ON VAN GAAL SCREAMING WIDE OF PITCH PAN ACROSS PITCH
  • Embargoed: 3rd November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • City:
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA3PNE7XL50IITT1QJJFRXIGU0
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Bayern Munich's injury crisis has finally given striker Mario Gomez a chance to start repaying the huge investment the club made in him last year.
    Gomez, who has found himself on the substitutes' bench with frustrating regularity since he became the Bundesliga's most expensive signing last season, burst out of his shell on Saturday (October 16) with a hat-trick against Hanover 96, his first goals this term, and is likely to get another chance to silence his critics when the Bavarians host Romanian champions Cluj in Champions League Group E on Tuesday (October 19).
    The striker cost Bayern around 30 million euros ($41.94 million) when he joined from VFB Stuttgart before the start of last season but struggled to get into a side which also boasted Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Ivica Olic and Miroslav Klose.
    Gomez managed 13 goals last season including 10 in the Bundesliga, but they were not enough to stop him being written off as a flop by many.
    This season he has been given more chances, especially after Klose and Olic joined Robben and Ribery on the injury list for the match against against Hanover.
    The Champions League has offered both teams a respite from their dismal league form.
    Bayern, stuck in mid-table after eight games of the Bundesliga, top Group E with six points from their opening two games while Cluj have three points from a surprise opening win over Swiss champions FC Basel.
    Cluj, double winners last season, are 12th in the Romanian league after a 5-3 defeat at Vaslui on Friday.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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