UEFA Cup knockout round: Bayern drawn to face Aberdeen (Sco)

[Oliver_Kahn]

Ha great draw. Aberdeen are a team to get beaten in both matches and I'm confident we'll get the job done in Scotland.

Then it's Bordeaux (who haven't been exactly great in the league) or Anderlecht, who have lost most of their class players, but both can still pose a threat. However, Bayern are superior in every aspect and we should qualify to the quater-finals without much trouble

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Bayern will face Scottish outfit Aberdeen in the first knockout round of this season's UEFA Cup. The Bundesliga leaders travel to Pittodrie in the north-east of Scotland on 13 or 14 February, with the return at the Allianz Arena a week later on 21 February.

Should Munich overcome the challenge posed by the side currently lying sixth in the Scottish Premier League, their opponents in the last 16 of the competition would be the winners of the RSC Anderlecht v Girondins Bordeaux clash. Bayern would again be at home in the decisive second leg.

Bayern were second out of the hat in today's draw for both the Round of 32 and Round of 16, held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Only one past meeting

The Bavarians have only met Aberdeen once in European competition, a Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final in 1982-3, when the Scots progressed to the semis thanks to a 3-2 win at home following a goalless draw in Munich. Aberdeen, coached at the time by current Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, went on to lift the now-defunct trophy with a famous victory over Real Madrid in the final.

"Aberdeen is an attractive draw. There'll be plenty of atmosphere at both games, and I'm already looking forward to it," Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel commented. The Dons have claimed their domestic league title on four occasions, most recently in 1985.

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Bayern will face Scottish outfit Aberdeen in the first knockout round of this season's UEFA Cup. The Bundesliga leaders travel to Pittodrie in the north-east of Scotland on 13 or 14 February, with the return at the Allianz Arena a week later on 21 February.

Should Munich overcome the challenge posed by the side currently lying sixth in the Scottish Premier League, their opponents in the last 16 of the competition would be the winners of the RSC Anderlecht v Girondins Bordeaux clash. Bayern would again be at home in the decisive second leg.

Bayern were second out of the hat in today's draw for both the Round of 32 and Round of 16, held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Only one past meeting

The Bavarians have only met Aberdeen once in European competition, a Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final in 1982-3, when the Scots progressed to the semis thanks to a 3-2 win at home following a goalless draw in Munich. Aberdeen, coached at the time by current Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, went on to lift the now-defunct trophy with a famous victory over Real Madrid in the final.

"Aberdeen is an attractive draw. There'll be plenty of atmosphere at both games, and I'm already looking forward to it," Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel commented. The Dons have claimed their domestic league title on four occasions, most recently in 1985.

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Bayern have been handed an attractive UEFA Cup Round of 32 tie in Friday’s draw. “I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere at the stadium in Aberdeen,” commented Germany international Philipp Lahm. Mark van Bommel agreed wholeheartedly with his team-mate, but also expressed delight that the draw spared Bayern a potentially tricky trip to St. Petersburg.

Reaction to Friday’s UEFA Cup draw:

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “A very interesting, but also very tough draw. We’ll have to be fully prepared for the physical challenge against the Scots. But I have no doubt we’ll go through, where we’d again face quality opponents, the winners out of Anderlecht against Bordeaux. However, our priority is to prepare well during the mid-season break, and then make sure we go through against Aberdeen.“

Mark van Bommel: “I’m happy we’ve been spared the trip to St. Petersburg. Aberdeen is an attractive draw, there'll be plenty of atmosphere at both games, and I'm already looking forward to it. You should never underestimate a physical, battling Scottish team. Their national team had a fantastic run in Euro 2008 qualifying and put Scottish football back on the map. However, we should still have it in us to qualify for the next round.“

Philipp Lahm: “I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere at the stadium in Aberdeen. It won’t be easy there, but we’re Bayern Munich and we’ll get through. If it’s still open after the first leg, we’ll settle the tie at home.“

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Aberdeen are an attractive draw, as Mark van Bommel said.

I'm sure we'll get at least a draw in Scotland, and we'll definately win at home.

It may not be easy, but, as Lahm says, we're FC Bayern, and will get through.

Than Anderlecht or Bordeaux would be waiting in line to get victimized.

It wouldn't be easy with them either, but I doubt they'll stop us, just like no team will stop us.

[Vargas_4]

Agreed with what Mark Van Bommel said.

They are a Scot team. They are physical and battling. I think it was with Braga who we had a problem with, where they were more physical than anything and obtained the draw (1-1).

We must fully prepare ourselves in the mid-season break.

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Paul Breitner’s memories of Aberdeen are not necessarily the happiest of his footballing career. “That’s where I played my last match in Europe,” the former Bayern star grimaces. After a scoreless draw in Munich, Breitner and Co travelled to the north-east of Scotland on 16 March 1983 for a European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final return but lost 3-2 and exited the competition. The Dons went on to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the final and claim the trophy, the greatest triumph in the 104-year history of the club.

Back in the 1980s, then coach Sir Alex Ferguson fashioned Aberdeen into one of Scotland’s most successful clubs with three championships and four Cup victories, but the Dons have been overshadowed by Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers since that glorious era. Aberdeen’s most recent trophy success was the Scottish League Cup back in 1996.

Best European run in 22 seasons

The club partially recaptured some of their former glories last season with a third-place finish in the Scottish Premier League and a berth in this term’s UEFA Cup, where a 4-0 triumph against FC Copenhagen in their final Group B match earned them third spot in the section behind Atletico Madrid and Panathinaikos of Athens.

“My team has made history tonight,“ declared coach Jimmy Calderwood, at the helm since 2004. A line-up almost exclusively comprising British players has thus survived in Europe until after Christmas for the first time in 22 seasons.

Sixth in SPL

Aberdeen currently lie sixth in the Scottish top flight with seven wins, seven defeats and three draws so far this term. The Dons play their home matches at the 22,199 capacity Pittodrie, the first stadium in Britain to be converted to a completely covered all-seater arena.

The ground is certain to be packed to the seams when Bayern arrive on 13 or 14 February in search of ‘revenge’ for the events of almost 25 years ago. Paul Breitner believes the Bavarians will succeed in their mission: “The team we have now normally shouldn’t have any trouble beating Aberdeen, provided we play to our potential on the day.“

Aberdeen’s roll of honour:

European Cup Winners’ Cup: 1983
European Super Cup: 1984
Scottish champions: 1955, 1980, 1984, 1985
Scottish Cup: 1947, 1970, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990
Scottish League Cup: 1956, 1977, 1986, 1990, 1996

fcbayern.de

[toni87]

it should t be a problem for bayern!!!!