Guardiola confirms Goetze will travel to Frankfurt

Mario Goetze is in line to make his Bayern Munich debut against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday after overcoming a hamstring injury.

The 21-year-old has not played since April, when the issue forced him off the park during his former club Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League semi-final tie against Real Madrid.

Goetze has already donned Bayern colours in a friendly against Hungarian champions Gyor, in which he scored twice, but now looks set for his competitive debut.

“If he’s fit, then he’s got a good chance of playing,” Bayern head coach Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

“He’s getting there step by step and he will be coming to Frankfurt with us.

“He only played half an hour in Hungary. He doesn’t run like (Franck) Ribery or (David) Alaba, but he is very intelligent and he’s a very special player.”

Goetze’s availability is another boost for Bayern, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Rafinha nearing full fitness after their ankle problems, while left-back Diego Contento is also making good progress in his return from a foot injury.

“This week was good with Basti (Schweinsteiger), with Rafa (Rafinha), with Contento and Mario,” Guardiola said.

“He (Goetze) was in the back for his preparation, for his training, that was good for him and for Basti as well, because Basti was in treatment for a very, very long time because of his injury and it was good for Mario.

“Every day he makes improvements, that is good for us.”

Frankfurt lost 6-1 to Hertha Berlin on the opening weekend but Guardiola is staying cautious ahead of his side’s first away fixture of the season.

“They build up well, the defence, they always play with a defensive midfield,” Guardiola said of Frankfurt.

“His (manager Armin Veh’s) back players stand high, they run well, they pass well in the centre, as actually all teams in the Bundesliga do.

“They have (Pirmin) Schwegler. He has good eyes, a good vision, a good pace, a very good player. (Sebastian) Rode is very dynamic, strong, big personality, he is a good player. “