'Chased by Dortmund':Rode looking forward to reunion
Some Bayern pros enjoyed the Easter weekend up in the mountains, others went in search of the sun. Ex-Frankfurt man Sebastian Rode visited his home town of Darmstadt to spend some time with his family. He has returned to Munich to prepare for the next match on Saturday, when the Reds host Eintracht Frankfurt - and Rode is in for the next reunion. “I'm looking forward to seeing some of them again,” the 25-year-old told FCB.tv.
Rode has been playing for FC Bayern for almost two years, and his former club has changed in the meantime. He has fewer contacts to Frankfurt now, but there are still certain ties of course. “I hope they escape the drop zone,” commented Rode, whose former club currently lie 17th. “I believe they will. They have many matches against direct competitors ahead of them.”
FC Bayern are not among these sides of course. Rode & Co aim to win Saturday's clash in front of a full house at the Allianz Arena. “We're being chased by Dortmund,” explained Rode, “we can't afford to think of Benfica for one second. First we have to take care of Eintracht.” The Reds know it will not be an easy task as they were held to a goalless draw in the reverse fixture, when they ran up vainly against the rock of Eintracht's defence over 90 minutes.
“We have a score to settle,” added Rode. An interesting question is whether the change of coach will have an impact: Niko Kovac has replaced Armin Veh. “It's never easy against a new coach, their philosophy might have already changed,” reckons the midfielder, “but of course we want to win in front of our own fans and make a good start after the international break.”
