Badstuber welcomes Heynckes back to Bayern

Defender Holger Badstuber is excited at the prospect of working with Jupp Heynckes again, with the new FC Bayern München boss looking to take his side to the UEFA Champions League final on home turf this season.

Having won back-to-back titles at Bayern at the turn of the 1990s, the 66-year-old Heynckes returned to the club as a caretaker coach in 2009. But the man who led Real Madrid CF to UEFA Champions League glory in 1998 was recalled on a long-term basis this summer after two fine seasons at Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

"I think he is a great coach with lots of experience," Badstuber told UEFA.com. "He has won the Champions League and has done a great job at Leverkusen. We are looking forward to working with him. Jupp Heynckes is a coach in great demand here in Germany. We know about his qualities. I think he will do well at FC Bayern, and we are all looking forward to this new experience."

Badstuber was particularly impressed with the transformation Heynckes effected at Leverkusen, noting of last season's Bundesliga runners-up: "They play very attractive football, and that's what we want to play next year. Heynckes has become very popular for his way of playing. We hope we can make it work with him."

Heynckes said it was "good to be back home" after overseeing his first training session since returning to Bayern – and there is certainly the feeling that a special relationship exists between coach and club. "He is no stranger at all," said Badstuber. "He has always had a tie to FC Bayern. I think it's his dream club in Germany, and I hope he will be able to work for the club for a long time."

If things go well, Hynckes could end his first season back at Bayern with a UEFA Champions League final appearance at the Fußball Arena München on 19 May. The four-time winners enter this season's competition in the play-off round in August.