Star duo carry Bayern hopes

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness believes the Bundesliga club are a ‘superpower’ when star duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are on song.

Bayern are currently third in the Bundesliga, thirteen points behind runaway leaders Borussia Dortmund.

However, if they can keep both Ribery and Robben fit and Dortmund begin to falter, the Bavarian giants still have an outside chance of defending their Bundesliga title.

Since Robben’s return to Bayern’s side after a thigh injury the Dutchman has scored four times in as many games, with his side winning all four matches.

However, Hoeness believes it is not just Robben who is making a difference.

“Even after all this the people should not forget that Franck Ribery has played exceptionally, on Saturday, for example, he didn’t score but he was involved in two or three of them,” Hoeness said, adding: “With both of them playing we are a superpower.”

In contrast, former Bayern defender Willy Sagnol believes that relying on Robben and Ribery too much is dangerous.

“The other players always expect something from them, they expect the decisive goal or the decisive pass and even though that is normal, therein lies a problem,” Sagnol said.

Bayern’s next match in the Bundesliga is against fifth-placed Mainz on Saturday.