Bayern matadors mull over bullfight

Alessandro Del Piero missed Saturday’s win over Udinese but trained on Sunday and is expected to return alongside Marco Di Vaio in attack.

Experienced defender Ciro Ferrara is also fit again and could return to the back four, still without Uruguayan Paolo Montero. French striker David Trezeguet is still sidelined but midfielder Antonio Conte is back in training. With coach Bert van Marwijk extending his contract by a year and Feyenoord beating Willem II Tilburg 5-1, the club has gained a little confidence. Feyenoord have only 17 fully fit men and Van Marwijk will be without key players including top-scorer Pierre van Hooijdonk while Bonaventure Kalou is suspended.

Newcastle U v Dynamo Kiev

England midfielder Kieron Dyer should return when Newcastle United face Dynamo Kiev at St James’ Park after missing the last three games with a back injury. Dyer’s chances of playing are rated as good by manager Bobby Robson who will play him in an advanced role alongside Alan Shearer. Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given will play instead of understudy Steve Harper who replaced him in the 1-0 victory over Juventus last week.

Haifa v Man United

Although Maccabi Haifa will be happy not to have to play against a full strength Manchester United squad, coach Yitzhak Shum has had to seek advice over some of the unfamiliar faces which his players will have to cope with on Tuesday.

He is also worried that the United newcomers will try their hardest to impress, and the match will be no easier than it might otherwise have been against a side with nothing more to prove in the first stage of the competition. Haifa’s biggest worry surrounds the state of central defender Eric Ejiafor. Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has taken a second string squad to Cyprus for the clash, leaving David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Laurent Blanc, Juan Sebastian Veron and Fabien Barthez at home.

Leverkusen v Olympiakos

Bayer Leverkusen might be without midfielder and captain Carsten Ramelow, who missed Saturday’s 1-1 Bundesliga draw with Hertha Berlin because of a stomach bug. Hanno Balitsch would probably replace him if he is out. Croatian Boris Zivkovic, who was suspended on Saturday, should be back in defence while Bulgarian international Dimitar Berbatov was expected to be paired up front with Oliver Neuville. Brazilian striker Franca, who still needs time to adapt, should start on the bench again. A win would send last season’s Champions League runners-up through to the next round.

Bayern Munich v Coruna

Bayern Munich face a humiliating Champions League exit on Tuesday if they fail to win at Deportivo Coruna after a dismal campaign in Group G. Coach Javier Irureta should stick with the side that ended Depor’s three-match losing streak with a 2-1 league win at Rayo Vallecano at the weekend as they seek to do the double over Bayern. Bayern Munich will be without goalkeeper and captain Oliver Kahn, who tore a right thigh muscle and should be replaced by Stefan Wessels.

French wing back Willy Sagnol and Bosnian forward Hasan Halimadzic were both hampered by minor injury worries but coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said he hoped they would play. Bayern need a victory to keep alive their slim hopes of advancing. A defeat would leave the four-times champions facing the prospect of finishing last in their group and not even making the UEFA Cup.

FC Lens v AC Milan

Buoyed by last week’s surprise 3-1 win over Deportivo Coruna, Lens coach Joel Muller now openly states his ambition is to beat AC Milan, particularly as the visitors are already through to the second phase and will probably rest some of their first-choice players. “From the beginning of the Champions League our aim was to win a game. We had to wait for four games to do so. Now we have to add a second victory against AC Milan,” he said.

Galatsaray v Lokomotiv

Galatasaray host the Russians knowing a defeat could dash their hopes of a berth in the second group stage. Coach Fatih Terim is likely to put his faith in Brazilian Christian and Bosnia’s Elvir Baljic, who have combined well as a strike force in recent games, ahead of Turkey’s World Cup men Hasan Sas and Arif Erdem. Senegalese defender Adama Sarr, whose goal at Lokomotiv in September brought Galatasaray’s only victory in Group H, is likely to return from injury. Lokomotiv, who did not have a game at the weekend, welcome back influential South African winger Jakob Lekgetho, who was suspended against Barcelona.

Bruges v Barcelona

Club Bruges coach Trond Sollied is hoping his side, who did not play in the Belgian league last weekend, can make the most of a below-strength Barcelona side. “I imagine that (Louis) Van Gaal won’t take any risks with injured or tired players,” the Norwegian coach said.

Sollied is likely to play newly-fit Marek Spilar alongside Philippe Clement to bolster the defence. Defender Tim Smolders is probably out due to a sprain, while key striker Andres Mendoza stays on the bench for the last game of a three-match exclusion imposed by the coach.