Dinamo Zagreb face daunting task of stopping Lewandowski

BERLIN (Reuters) - Dinamo Zagreb will have to find a way to stop free-scoring machine Robert Lewandowski when they travel to in-form Bayern Munich in their second Champions League Group F fixture on Tuesday.





Pep Guardiola's Bayern team are enjoying a nine-game winning run in all competitions with Lewandowski currently proving unstoppable.

Lewandowski has struck seven goals in the last week, five in an incredible nine minutes against VfL Wolfsburg and two more against Mainz 05 on Saturday as Bayern tightened their grip on top spot in the Bundesliga.

Dinamo left back Josip Pivaric said he hoped Lewandowski had run out of ammunition after his sensational run.

"I hope he's got nothing left," he joked. "We will do everything we can to make it difficult for Bayern. They are one of the best teams in the world but we hope that they have a bad day and we have a great one."

Lewandowski's scoring prowess is not the only danger for Dinamo with Douglas Costa's dizzying runs down the left wing having split open every defence this season. The Brazilian has shot out of the blocks since joining in the summer transfer window, filling the gap left by injured Franck Ribery, and already providing five assists in the league alone.

Yet Bayern sports director Matthias Sammer warned that despite their good run, a slip-up against Dinamo ahead of their big Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday could prove costly.

"Until now we are very satisfied, we have maximum points," said Sammer. "But if we draw against Dinamo and lose against Dortmund then everyone will be asking why we have messed up our season start."

While five-times winners Bayern began with victory against Olympiakos earlier this month, Dinamo will be buoyed by their opening win over Arsenal.

The Croatians will head into the clash after beating Osijek 4-1 on Saturday to stay top of the Croatian first division.

Coach Zoran Mamic rested several players but the second-string outfit produced an impressive performance, particularly reserve striker Armin Hodzic who scored twice.

Manchester United reject Angelo Henriquez also netted and their good form will have left Mamic pondering who to field up front.

"The team played very well and the important thing is that we avoided any new injuries on a rain-soaked surface," Mamic said.

"We will now turn our attention to Bayern."





(Additional reporting by Zoran Milosavljevic; Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Martyn Herman)


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