Football
Mark Lovell, Bayern Munich blogger 7y

Arturo Vidal and Thiago Alcantara fit for Bayern; Philipp Lahm may miss out

Bayern Munich midfielders Arturo Vidal and Thiago Alcantara are both available for Saturday's game against Schalke but captain Philipp Lahm could miss out on making his 500th appearance.

Vidal has been battling to overcome a rib problem, while Thiago returned to training last week after suffering a muscle injury during Bayern's winter training camp in Doha in early January.

"Arturo and Thiago have trained with us all week. They are in good condition and ready," Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti said at his prematch news conference.

While Ancelotti could not promise whether Lahm would reach his personal milestone on Saturday after recovering from a knee injury scare earlier in the week.

"I haven't chosen the side yet, so I'm not sure if he can make his 500th appearance," he said. "Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps..."

He added: "He's a very good professional, with a great attitude. He's a good role model and our captain. I'm very pleased with him."

Bayern lead nearest challengers RB Leipzig by three points at the top of the table and are seeking their eighth consecutive Bundesliga win a row at the weekend.

Ancelotti confirmed Joshua Kimmich, who scored his first ever Bundesliga goal in the 2-0 win at Schalke in August, would miss the game through illness, along with the injured Franck Ribery and Jerome Boateng.

With the Champions League round-of-16 meeting with Arsenal less than a fortnight away, Ancelotti said Ribery will return to individual training next week, while central defender Jerome Boateng will definitely miss the first leg in Munich on Feb. 15.

He said: "Boateng is also doing individual sessions and we're pleased with his training. He's focused, but he won't be back in full team training till the end of February."

Ancelotti also had some kind words for the retiring Frank Lampard, whom he worked with at Chelsea.

"He was a fantastic player and midfielder, a fantastic man and had a fantastic career," he said. "I was very lucky to have this kind of player in my team."

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