Injuries not an excuse, insists Guardiola

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has played down his side’s lengthy injury list ahead of their trip to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

Guardiola’s men head into the top-of-the-table clash four points ahead of rivals Dortmund following an unbeaten start to their Bundesliga title defence.

However, the Bavarians are set to be without a number of key players at Signal Iduna Park, with winger Franck Ribery the latest to be ruled out of contention with a rib injury.

Midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger (ankle) and Xherdan Shaqiri (thigh) are still on the sidelines, along with striker Claudio Pizarro (thigh) and defender Holger Badstuber (knee).

However, Guardiola does not believe their injury problems should be used as an excuse as they aim to open up a seven-point lead over Jurgen Klopp’s team – who have major injury issues of their own, with the likes of Mats Hummels, Neven Subotic and Marcel Schmelzer all sidelined.

“We are excited about this opportunity. This is a big, big game,” the Spaniard said.

“That’s (the injuries) no excuse. I hate excuses.

“They are a bit of a problem, but I’m especially sad for the players. But I am very sure the team that plays against Dortmund will have great quality.”