Bayern not taking Club World Cup lightly

ByReuters

Updated 15/12/2013 at 22:33 GMT

European teams are often perceived as treating the Club World Cup as a mid-season inconvenience but Bayern Munich insisted on Sunday they were happy to be in Morocco and ready for the challenge.

Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola (Reuters)

Image credit: Reuters

"We are fully motivated and we have come here to win this cup," goalkeeper Manuel Neuer told reporters. "It goes without saying that we will go into the tournament with the right attitude.

"This is the final hurdle of a year which has been very successful," he added.

"It's a very special competition, bringing together the champions of each continent, and we want to be the number one club in the world. We want to crown the year with another success."

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Bayern, who won a Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League treble last season, are appearing in the tournament for the first time since the current format was introduced in 2005 with the champions of each continent.

They twice won the old Intercontinental Cup between the champions of Europe and South America, beating Brazil's Cruzeiro over two legs in 1976 and Boca Juniors in a single match played in Tokyo in 2001.

They declined to take part in the 1974 and 1975 matches during a period when the fixture was marred by violence.

Bayern face Marcello Lippi's Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande on Tuesday and, if they win that, meet either South American champions Atletico Mineiro or Raja Casablanca, champions of host nation Morocco, in Saturday's final.

"I don't know the Chinese team too well, but I can say we're the favourites," said winger Franck Ribery.

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