[Trim]

Normal service will be resumed on Tuesday. “As of tomorrow, we’ll turn up the heat and start gearing the lads up for Thursday,” Henke explained. Spanish La Liga cracks Getafe visit the Allianz Arena in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals this week.

Ribery warned his team-mates not to underestimate Thursday’s opponents: “They must be good, or they wouldn’t still be in the competition.“ The 24-year-old revealed he had consulted Barcelona pair Lilian Thuram and Thierry Henry for advice regarding Getafe when the players met up on France duty last week, a conversation which is certain to have thrown up one or two interesting insights.

“They told me Getafe are technically good and hard to play against, so it’s important we win at home, preferably without conceding a goal,” observed Ribéry, promising fireworks for the crowd: “We’ll go after them and get on the attack.“

***

Some 20 km south of Real’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is Getafe’s Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, the compact ground where Bayern are due to play the second leg next week. The match in Munich is the more pressing priority, and Demichelis declared himself far more concerned about that than his unsightly injury. “I rate Getafe as one of the best teams still in the competition,” the centre-half opined.

Micho has already watched TV coverage of the Spanish top flight outfit, and will join his FCB team-mates for a detailed video analysis of the club’s European opponents on Wednesday. Getafe lost 2-0 to Osasuna at the weekend, but Demichelis knows the Spaniards will be “totally motivated“ when they arrive in Bavaria. “They’re not just coming to Munich for a kick-about, they want to make the next round.“

Bayern are the team under pressure on Thursday, Demichelis acknowledged: “Getafe have nothing to lose.“ The men in red know they will need “total aggression, full concentration and high motivation,“ the Argentine commented. “The best thing would be to score early. It won’t be easy, but we believe strongly in ourselves. We have to go out there and show what we can do.“

Demichelis has already taken one of Getafe’s stars to one side and informed him of Bayern’s iron resolve to win the UEFA Cup. Argentina number one Roberto Abbondanzieri also keeps goal for the Spanish club side. “I’ve spoken to my good friend,” Demichelis reported, also revealing the placing of a small wager between the pair. The Munich star will be even more determined to open his UEFA Cup scoring account this week – and it will not bother him in the slightest if the ball goes in off the prominent bump on his forehead.