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FOOTBALL

Bayern gets ready to take on Stuttgart after winter break

Bayern Munich are to begin their 2009 campaign with a testing last-16 German Cup tie at Stuttgart, the same team who held the German champions to a 2-2 draw in their last match of 2008.

Bayern gets ready to take on Stuttgart after winter break
Photo: DPA

After a one-and-a-half-month winter break, a training camp in the Dubai sunshine and five wins from five friendly matches, Bayern must steel themselves for a return to competitive action.

The Bavarian giants, second in the German championship on goal difference behind leaders Hoffenheim and into the last 16 of the Champions League, need to “step up another level in order to win trophies”, according to president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Bayern’s league campaign resumes with a trip to Hamburg on Friday.

The team, unbeaten in sixteen matches and reinforced by the arrival of American midfielder Landon Donovan on loan from LA Galaxy during the winter break, “is in the best possible shape”, according to coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

But they will need all their guile to overcome the obstacle presented by a

Stuttgart side who haven’t lost since Markus Babbel took over as coach in November.

“We didn’t manage to beat Bayern in December but I know that we can beat them”, said Babbel, a former team-mate of Klinsmann’s.

The showdown between top-flight sides Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen is the highlight of the remaining seven ties in midweek.

Winter champions Hoffenheim were eliminated in the previous round by Freiberg, who take on fellow second-division outfit Mainz.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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