13th March, 2012
Jerome Boateng, Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben were withdrawn in the 7-1 trashing of Hoffenheim at the Allianz Arena on Saturday after suffering minor knocks, but have been cleared to play tonight in the Champions League.
It is yet unclear who Jupp Heynckes will field in the centre of the pitch with Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Luiz Gustavo, Toni Kroos and, of course, returning vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, all in with a chance to start in midfield.
Rafinha is likely to return to the squad after missing the weekend’s game with flu, but following his poor performance in the first leg he is likely to have to settle for a place on the bench. Daniel Van Buyten and Breno are still recovering from injuries and will not feature against the Swiss champions.
The big absentee for Basel is left-back Jo-Hoo Park, who missed the 2-0 win against Grasshopper on Saturday. Former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund wide defender Philip Degen is expected to deputise for the South Korean tonight.
Kay Voser is back in training after a ankle injury, while Scott Chipperfield is yet to feature in 2012 after suffering a thigh knock in January.