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Bayern Tries To Break Losing Streak

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 21, 2008

LONDON - Bayern Munich is confident it can shake off its poor league form and move closer to a Champions League knockout spot by beating Fiorentina today - with or without Luca Toni.

While Tuesday's other group leaders, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal, are all close to the top in Spain and England, only seven teams are below defending champion Bayern in the Bundesliga standings.

Yet Juergen Klinsmann's team leads Group F and three more points in Munich against the Italian team will make it a favorite to reach the last 16.

"This game is a chance for us to get our foot in the door for the next round," Klinsmann said. "We are looking forward to the game but it will be very tough."

Klinsmann hopes that Toni will recover from a rib injury in time.

"We are taking it day by day and we hope of course that he will be able to play against his old club," Klinsmann said. "He would be extra motivated."

Bayern holds a two-point lead over Fiorentina, which will slip to third if it loses in Munich. Lyon also has two points after two draws and hopes to capture its first group victory at last place Steaua Bucharest, which has one.

Another of Tuesday's games is a repeat of the 1998 final between Juventus and Real Madrid, with both teams expected to make the knockout phase.

Madrid leads the group with six points and Juve is second with four and has a three-point advantage over third place BATE Borisov.

While two-time winner Juventus hosts nine-time champion Madrid in Turin, BATE from Belarus crosses the border into Russia to face Zenit St. Petersburg, last season's UEFA Cup winner, which has lost both games so far.

Bernd Schuster's Madrid team has recaptured top form, going six games unbeaten in the Spanish league and winning its two Champions League matches against Zenit and BATE.

The fact that it comes off a 2-1 victory over neighbor Atletico has boosted its confidence even more.

"Winning the derby makes us much stronger against Juventus," said Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored after only 34 seconds against Atletico before he was sent off in the 39th minute. "It is a boost for morale which will be really good for us because it's going to be a tough trip."

Arsenal goes to an intimidating venue to meet Fenerbahce in Istanbul even though the Gunners are on top of Group G and the Turkish club is last.

"It will be really tough. I experienced it a few years ago and the fans there are amazing," said winger Robin van Persie, whose team has four points to Fenerbahce's one. "It was really aggressive, but that is their style.

"You have to deal with the atmosphere. It is not nice but I think if you play for Arsenal you have to adapt and just play your game."

If Fenerbahce wins and third place Dynamo Kiev (two points) gets a victory at FC Porto (three), then the group will become wide open with three more rounds of group games to go.
Defending champion Manchester United will take a big step closer to the knockout stage if it beats Celtic at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils, who have four points from two games, have hit a spell of top form with five straight victories and with striker Wayne Rooney on a run of eight goals in six games for club and country.

The matchup is another confrontation between United manager Alex Ferguson and his Celtic counterpart, Gordon Strachan, who played under him at Aberdeen, Man United and Scotland.

United and Celtic also met in the group stage two years ago when Ferguson's team won 3-2 at home and Strachan's Hoops triumphed 1-0 at Celtic Park.

Shunsuke Nakamura scored with free kicks in both ties, and Ferguson will be reminding his players of that threat.

"We don't want to be giving goals away as easily as last time," Ferguson said Monday. "We have to respect, in the case of Nakamura, he has truly fantastic free kicks. That's something we have to concentrate on tomorrow."

Strachan recognizes that facing a rampant United is going to be very tough.

"You have to try and face United with ability, pace, strength, height and character and to try and get all of that in 11 players, in a team, is very hard," Strachan said.

In the other Group E game, Spain's Villarreal, which also has four points, will be confident of beating Denmark's Aalborg at home.

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