Lahm backs Bayerns struggling Mueller
AFP
AFP, BERLIN: After thrashing Arsenal in mid-week, leaders Bayern Munich return to Bundesliga business at Hertha Berlin on Saturday with captain Philipp Lahm backing Thomas Mueller to return to form.
Bayern head to the capital with a seven-point lead in Germanys top flight and one foot in the Champions Leagues quarter-finals after hammering Arsenal 5-1 in Wednesdays last 16, first-leg.
Carlo Ancelotti opted for Thiago Alcantara instead of Mueller to run Bayerns attack against the Gunners.
The attacking midfielder scored two goals in a display his coach hailed as perfect.
Germany star Mueller was left on the bench but still managed to come on and score Bayerns fifth goal in his four minutes on the pitch -- after Thiago presented him with a simple tap-in.
It had been 999 minutes since he had previously netted for Bayern. Ancelotti is set to rotate his squad with Mueller poised to make the starting line-up at Berlins Olympic Stadium.
Lahm says home-grown Germany star Mueller is working tirelessly to rekindle his form.
He has a place in every team, Lahm told Kicker.
Its unbelievable the way he trains every day, he always looks forward and pushes, regardless of whether he plays from the start or not.
Its just a question of time until he finds his form.
All of their six closest rivals lost last weekend and Berlin is a happy hunting ground for the Bavarians.
They won the Bundesliga title there with a record seven games to spare in March 2014, and have been victorious in their last 11 games against Hertha.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could record his 100th clean sheet in the league playing a team that has not scored against Bayern in their last five meetings.
Having been as high as third this year, Hertha are down to sixth after winning just two of their last seven league games.
Hertha striker Vedad Ibisevic is set to play despite an ankle knock. Second-placed RB Leipzig are at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday looking to bounce back from defeats in their last two games.
