[Oliver_Kahn]

Felix Magath awarded most of his players a day off on Monday, but the Säbener Strasse training ground was still a hive of activity. With four days remaining until Bayern resume league action in Dortmund, a clutch of players recovering from minor injury including Willy Sagnol, Martin Demichelis and Owen Hargreaves were joined by youngsters Michael Rensing, Thomas Kraft and Stefan Fürstner for a 90-minute workout.

Lukas Podolski was again absent, with the striker now rated increasingly doubtful for Friday's pivotal clash at the Westfalen stadium. fcbayern.de asked head coach Magath to assess his team's state of readiness, and offer a final verdict on the mid-season training programme.

Interview: Felix Magath

fcbayern.de: Felix Magath, you've just come back from a celebrity cook-off in Berlin. Did you enjoy trying your hand at something a little unusual?

Felix Magath: "Yes, working at a hot stove with that kind of artist and watching them cook was certainly something different. I had a lot of fun."

fcbayern.de: What was on the menu?

Magath: "We had cordon-bleu rolls on skewers, completely new to me, but very tasty and easy to eat. And we had stuffed chicken breast, which was also very good."

fcbayern.de: Tasty and very good are descriptions you could apply to your team's performance in beating Hamburg on Saturday, at least in the first half. Have you hit on the right recipe to defend the Bundesliga title?

Magath: "Overall, I'm pleased to say our mid-season programme went very, very well. With the exception of Saarbrucken, we played three friendlies against high-quality opponents, and we did ourselves credit on each occasion. The game in Hamburg, which provided very similar conditions to what we can expect this Friday in Dortmund, showed we're right up to speed. So we can say with confidence that we've prepared well, and I firmly believe we'll make a good start."

fcbayern.de: Have you already decided on your starting line-up for Dortmund?

Magath: "We'll turn our full attention to Dortmund on Tuesday. We have two more training sessions before the match, which give us an opportunity to work on our tactics. But there won't be any wholesale changes to the team at this late stage."

fcbayern.de: One or two players have picked up injuries recently. What's the situation regarding Willy Sagnol and the rest?

Magath: "The injury situation continues to improve. Willy trained well at the weekend, and he's determined to play on Friday. He's definitely a little further on than Owen or Roque, and it does look as though he'll appear in Dortmund. We'll have to wait and see with Owen. He's still behind in terms of fitness after his long lay-off. It could be tight. On the other hand, Martin Demichelis should be part of it, provided no new problems arise. He did very well today."

fcbayern.de: The only major doubt concerns Lucas Podolski, who missed training again today.

Magath: "He went for a jog on his own, but we'll simply have to wait and see how it goes with him recovering from a dead leg over the next few days. Obviously it's especially difficult for a striker if he's not totally fit."

fcbayern.de: Can we expect to see arrivals or departures before the transfer window closes on 31 January? The board has given Ali Karimi permission to move back to his former club, for example.

Magath: "No, I'm assuming we'll go in pursuit of our targets - retaining the league championship and performing well in the Champions League - with the squad we have at the moment."

fcbayern.de: All the best for the rest of the season, and thanks for talking to us!