Bayern Munich vs Ingolstadt - Bayern told to focus on points, not pints

Posted Friday, September 16, 2016 by PA

Carlo Ancelotti says his Bayern Munich team must put beer to the back of their minds when they host Ingolstadt on Saturday.

The match takes place on the same day that the city's famous Oktoberfest begins, but the Italian boss wants his team's full focus to be on securing the three points against Ingolstadt before they indulge in any partying.

"The Oktoberfest is a very special event in Munich, but we need to keep our focus on tomorrow's game," Ancelotti said at a press conference on Friday.

"We want to carry on the way we have been doing against Ingolstadt."

Bayern are not expected to pay the festival a visit until later on next week, after they have faced Hertha Berlin in the first midweek round of Bundesliga fixtures.

When they do go to the Oktoberfest - assuming they pick up satisfactory results in their two home fixtures - Ancelotti admits he will face another challenge on a personal level.

"I prefer wine and I know how many bottles of wine I can take, but I don't know how much beer I can take," said the Italian.

Ancelotti confirmed that Thomas Muller, Philipp Lahm and David Alaba will all miss the game due to a virus which has been doing the rounds, although defender Mats Hummels is fit and will start. Joshua Kimmich is also set to be in the starting line-up after netting a brace in midweek against Rostov.

That game underlined how ruthless Bayern can be and Ingolstadt coach Markus Kauczinski has likened beating them to winning the lottery, but he also said that you can only win the lottery by buying a ticket, and his team will do that on Saturday.

"We have to believe in ourselves," he said. "We need to be more ruthless and we know we have room for improvement in every area.

"But we know everything has got to fall into place and try all we can to ensure it is our day."

Ingolstadt have picked up just one point from their first two games of the season.