Bayern eye 30-year-old record

Bayern Munich have their eyes set on equalling a 30-year-old record for the Bundesliga’s longest unbeaten run as they prepare to go to Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Following their treble-winning 2012-13 campaign in which they broke one record after another, the outgoing Jupp Heynckes appeared to have left his successor Pep Guardiola with a thankless task.

But Guardiola has picked up where Heynckes left off and has already equalled Bayern’s longest ever unbeaten start to a Bundesliga season, set in 1968/69.

As a result, the reigning champions are now undefeated in their domestic league in 35 games in over a year and a draw or a win at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena in Sinsheim on Saturday will see them match the previous best mark set by Hamburg between January 1982 and January 1983.

“Our target and ambition is to take all three points in Hoffenheim,” left-back David Alaba said this week.

“But obviously, we know Hoffenheim will make it as hard as they can for us in front of their home crowd. Hoffenheim are much stronger compared to last season and they’re playing well as a team.”

Games involving Hoffenheim have tended to be entertaining affairs this season, with Markus Gisdol’s side the joint-top scorers in the division alongside Borussia Dortmund.

And their last home game was the now infamous 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen a fortnight ago in which Stefan Kiessling’s ‘phantom goal’ ultimately proved to be the decisive counter.

Hoffenheim have since learned that the result of that match will stand, but their confidence was lifted by a 4-1 win at Hannover last week.

“It’s a special game for us — for Bayern not so much,” said Gisdol this week, perhaps forgetting the record that is in sight for the visitors in Sinsheim.

Culled from Asian Age