Aberdeen Still A Concern To Bayern

Last updated : 14 February 2008 By Ed_ScottishFitba
Bayern Munich are at Pittodrie tonight and will not be underestimating an Aberdeen side which has been blowing hot and cold recently. The visiting manager Ottmar Hitzfeld insists he knows too much about Scottish football to pay much attention to some doom laden predictions concerning the Dons. Hitzfeld brought Paul Lambert and former Aberdeen striker Scott Booth to Borussia Dortmund and still rates them among his favourite players. Lambert impressed Hitzfeld so much while playing for Motherwell against Dortmund in the 1994 UEFA Cup that he later snapped him up and the pair won Champions League winners' medals in 1997. And the German's first-hand experience of Scottish commitment means he will not write off the Dons in the first leg of their UEFA Cup last-32 game. Hitzfeld said: "
They were two of my favourite players. They were fully committed and focused, they played with all their heart. We got Paul Lambert for no fee and I never thought he would go on to win the Champions League. Even today I have nothing but the utmost respect for him."

The Dons lost nine goals last week against Dundee United and Celtic, but Hitzfeld, who will have to field a side without veteran goalkeeper Oliver Kahn due to illness, has not forgotten Aberdeen's 4-0 win over Copenhagen in December. He said: "
They have lost their last two games but experience tells me that when you underestimate a team they can come back and surprise you. Look what happened against Copenhagen - Aberdeen were absolutely excellent. I think some players had this game on their mind when they played Celtic. They will try to put a lot of pace in the game. We have to aim to keep the ball, set our own pace and dictate the play."

No sooner was Kahn in Scotland that he was sent home straight after being hit by flu symptoms. But Hitzfeld is sure Michael Rensing will recover from a minor back problem to take his place in goal, which allows Bernd Dreher to get a seat on the bench. The Bayern boss said: "
I don't want to go into detail about it. He (Kahn) flew home today and he will be able to play at the weekend. I'm used to surprises. You can always have players falling out at the last minute. Michael Rensing has already played some games this season and he is a very good replacement for us. You never know, last time he got tangled up in his shoelaces and got a little injury but otherwise it will be Michael Rensing in goal." Germany international midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger also warned against complacency against Aberdeen, who knocked Bayern out of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983. Schweinsteiger said: "We have played other teams in the UEFA Cup this season and everyone thought we can win 6-0 and we had hard games and won 1-0 or so. I must mention that Aberdeen are very strong at home and you should never underestimate a team like Aberdeen. I have never played against Scotland but I did see Scotland did really well in their Euro 2008 qualifying group and just missed out."
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