Guardiola wary of Schalke threat

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola warned of the threat posed by Saturday’s Bundesliga opponents Schalke.

Guardiola’s men have been untouchable in the league this season, winning 20 of their 22 games and drawing the other two to open up a 19-point lead at the top of the table.

Fourth-placed Schalke have also been impressive in the German top flight recently, and sit just two points adrift of Bayer Leverkusen in second on the back of a seven-match unbeaten run.

Both clubs are also in the UEFA Champions League last 16, although Schalke head to the Allianz Arena on the back of a chastening 6-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in their first leg.

Bayern also thumped Jens Keller’s side 4-0 away in September, meaning the form book points to a comfortable win for the champions.

However, former Barcelona boss Guardiola has insisted there can be no room for complacency among his squad this weekend.

“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” he said.

“But we’ve been training incredibly hard. Schalke are one of the best teams in the league. They’ve done very well so far.

“We’re in good form and can take one more step towards defending our title.”

Guardiola went on to predict that Schalke’s hammering at the hands of Real on Wednesday will have no bearing on their performance in Munich.

“The Bundesliga is a totally different competition,” he added.