Bayern Munich will respect Raja Casablanca, says Guardiola

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola said his side will pay Moroccan club Raja Casablanca due respect in Saturday’s FIFA Club World Cup final.

The Bundesliga superpower is the strong favourite heading into the clash, with the Moroccans aiming to become the first African side to win the prestigious title.

But Guardiola is expecting an ambush from their lesser-known rivals in front of their home crowd in Morocco.

“After seeing how they played against the Mexican team and the Brazilian team we have realised why they are in the final,” Guardiola said.

“They have very, very talented players and very good organisation in their defensive movement.

“I am really impressed at the level of quality in this team. My players know too. We have just talked about the quality of this team and when a team is able to eliminate Mexican and Brazilian teams it’s not a lucky thing, it’s because they deserve that.

“So we have to prepare for the final at one the best tournaments in the world – one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world.

“And we have to prepare as well as possible for the game tomorrow. I’m convinced the players know how important the game is for the club, for themselves.

“I’m convinced that tomorrow we have an away game so we are not going to be playing at home – we are going to be playing away.

“Tomorrow the King of this country is coming to the game so that shows how important it is.”

Bayern stalwart Thomas Mueller said the players understand the magnitude of the clash but admitted he already has one eye on the winter break after a heavy recent workload.

“We will fight hard because it’s the last game and we should have enough power for it,” Mueller said.

“Afterwards we will have two weeks or so to rest and relax. We’ve had a very intense year, probably the most intense for some of our players in their careers.

“We have very nice and positive feelings we can look back, but we also want to continue.

“We are also looking forward to the holidays, it will be good to breathe again and rest a lot. We hope the festive atmosphere will help us too.”