Bayern braced for Hargreaves boost

Long absence
Hargreaves has been sidelined for four and a half months since breaking his leg during Bayern's 2-1 defeat at DSC Arminia Bielefeld on 16 September, but according to Magath, he is on the verge of a welcome comeback. "From my point of view, he could be in the team against Bochum," the coach said of a player whose stock has risen at the Fußball Arena München since Bayern's midfield was further depleted by injury to Mehmet Scholl and Sebastian Deisler's retirement.

'Back very soon'
In Bayern's 14 Bundesliga outings since Hargreaves was laid off, the German title-holders have slipped increasingly off the pace, their 3-2 loss at BV Borussia Dortmund on Friday leaving them six points adrift of joint-leaders Werder Bremen and FC Schalke 04. The 26-year-old England midfielder has been in full training for a fortnight, though, and Magath is delighted with his progress, saying: "Owen was already impressing me at the end of last week. I expect him to be back very soon." Victory against a Bochum side sitting one place above the relegation zone would see Bayern close the gap at the top to three points, albeit temporarily having played a game more.