Guardiola worried by injury crisis

The Spaniard believes his squad will be stretched
to the limit over the coming weeks, with a number
of first team players out injured
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has admitted
that he is worried by the club's mounting injury
crisis.

The likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Claudio Pizarro,
Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp
Lahm are all missing for the Bavarians with a
variety of knocks.

With the European champions set to enter a
gruelling period in the season, Guardiola feels the
support of the home fans could be more valuable
than ever.

"This is a difficult situation," he told reporters at a
press conference.
"I don't know that the condition of the team is. I
hope that our heads are in the right place. When
our legs have not got much in them, we need the
support of our fans.
"We have to survive the next two or three weeks.
That's why we have a second team."

However, Guardiola did confirm that Mario
Mandzukic and Diego Contento can return to the
fold for Saturday's match against Eintracht
Braunschweig.

Looking ahead to the clash with the newly-
promoted side, the former Spain international
called upon his players not to underestimate the
northerners, due to their impressive results against
the Bundesliga's top teams.

He added: "They will be 100 per cent focused. For
us, it is difficult to maintain that level."

Finally, the 42-year-old drew a line under the
recent mole scandal, in which Bayern's line-up and
tactics were leaked to Bild prior to their clash with
Borussia Dortmund.

"This is normal at a big club. It happens. I'm
trying to convince my players that it's best if
things remain amongst us. The issue is over now."