Football
Mark Lovell, Bayern Munich blogger 8y

Julian Green may make Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich vs. Frankfurt

U.S. international striker Julian Green could make his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, with Arjen Robben also in line to return from injury.

Green, 21, scored in both of the United States' international friendlies last week, impressing Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti. 

"Green is in the squad and he will get his chance to play in the next few games," Ancelotti told his prematch news conference. "He's a good player and works with total concentration in training every day.

"I haven't spoken to [U.S. coach] Jurgen Klinsmann, but I can imagine he's very pleased with him. His best position is centre-forward."

Green is yet to open his account for the Bavarians and has actually scored more goals for his country than he has in German first-team football. The Tampa-born striker also failed to score in a disappointing loan spell in Hamburg two seasons ago.

But he did manage four goals on the German champions' preseason tour to the U.S. -- including an impressive hat trick against Inter Milan.

Ancelotti confirmed that top scorer Robert Lewandowski was among a group of players that didn't train on Thursday. He will select the line-up after training on Friday when the team will also fly to Germany's financial capital.

Meanwhile, Robben is also fit after shaking off a rib injury which ruled him out of the Netherlands World Cup qualifiers. Robben suffered the injury on his first Bayern start in almost seven months, the 1-1 draw against Cologne. The 32-year-old enjoyed a lively first half, but didn't reappear after the interval.

But Ancelotti said: "Robben trained without any problems this week and he's ready for tomorrow."

According to Ancelotti, Holger Badstuber, another long-term absentee, is nearing a return and could also come into consideration for a spot on the bench.

The 27-year-old defender has suffered five serious injuries since 2012, including two cruciate ligament operations and a broken ankle. He attempted a comeback on the summer tour to the States, five months after breaking his ankle, but could only manage 30 minutes against AC Milan.

"Like Robben, he's trained well this week and I'll decide after training whether he will fly with us to Frankfurt. He's an option for the squad," Ancelotti said.

After a winless run of two games, Ancelotti promised a better performance from the league leaders at the weekend against a Frankfurt side that haven't managed to score against Bayern in their previous eight games.

"We started the season very well, but we weren't at our best the last couple of games," he said. "I believe that the team was a little tired and lacked intensity.

"We've spoken about it and understand our mistakes. Tomorrow will be different. "

Ancelotti said he was "happy with how the team is performing" in his early days in Bavaria.

"The next 10 games, if you give me -- eight wins, a draw and a defeat -- then I'd sign up right away."

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