Bayern kick off eyeing fifth straight title
AFP
AFP, BERLIN: Bayern Munich kick off the 2016/17 German Bundesliga season at home to Werder Bremen on Friday with their rivals out to stop them winning a fifth straight Bundesliga title.
Germany defender Mats Hummels and burly Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches have been Bayerns only off-season signings, but its all change behind the scenes at the Munich giants.
Against Bremen, new coach Carlo Ancelotti will be in charge of his first game at the Allianz Arena as he becomes the fourth Italian to coach in the Bundesliga after Giovanni Trapattoni, Nevio Scala and Roberto Di Matteo.
Our priority is to win the league, Ancelotti said when he first took over from Pep Guardiola.
Were looking forward to the start of the season and were ready for the first game against Bremen.
Ancelotti has brought in an entire new backroom staff, including son Davide, while Bayern are without a sporting director since Matthias Sammer quit with health problems at the end of the season.
Security has been stepped up for the season opener in Munich amid terror fears in Germany.
Rucksacks over an A4 size and large bottles are banned with a crowd of around 75,000 expected.
Nothing short of three points will be acceptable for the defending champions who made history last season by becoming the first club to win four consecutive German league titles.
Bremen are without Germany striker Max Kruse, who injured his knee in their shock German Cup defeat to third-division Sportfreunde Lotte last Sunday.
Kruse has undergone an operation and will be out for the foreseeable future.
Its a real blow because it looks like were going to be without a key player for a good while, coach Viktor Skripnik told the clubs website.
