Coach Fink seeks Basel surprise against ex-club Munich (News Feature)

By John Bagratuni Sep 27, 2010, 10:02 GMT

Berlin - Thorsten Fink won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2001 but now hopes to inflict some damage on his former club on Tuesday as coach of their underdog opponents Basel.

Fink, 42, played in Munich 1997-2003. Apart from the European trophy, and a place in the 1999 final, the defender won four Bundesliga crowns and three German cups with Bayern.

Now he is the coach of Swiss side Basel and won a domestic double in his first season 2009-10. Basel are enjoying a strong start into the latest campaign as well and are in the Champions League group stage for the third time in the club's history.

The game against Munich at St Jacob Park could not come at a better time for the hosts as Bayern are stuttering early in the German season, the latest - and biggest - setback a 2-1 home defeat against league leaders Mainz on Saturday.

'I am looking forward (to seeing Bayern again) ... Saturday's defeat showed that Bayern have some weaknesses. Munich are still the clear favourites. But if they don't have a good day then we have a chance,' Fink told Monday's edition of Kicker sports magazine.

Basel are coming off a big 4-1 league win at Zurich and two-time scorer Marco Streller believes they have a chance to rebound from a 2-1 defeat in their Champions League opener at Romania's Cluj.

'We played well. If we play like this against Bayern we are not without a chance,' Streller said.

Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, meanwhile, hopes that his club can rebound on Tuesday from the recent poor German showings.

'We have to make amends because you can't survive in the Champions League with a performance like Saturday's,' said Rummenigge.

Bayern are without injured Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben and have shown little danger in front of goal. But their Turkey midfielder Hamit Altintop said the team is capable of a second win on the continent after beating Roma 2-0 in the opener.

'We must be calm. We have won the first game, we can play cautiously and don't have to go on all-out attack,' said Altintop.

Bayern have won the European top event four times. They reached the final last season before losing to Inter Milan and Fink is among those who rates them highly again.

'Bayern are the top favourites (in the group). They were in the final last season and are on of the best teams in the Champions League,' he said.

Looking at his own team, he said: 'We can play for third place in the group. Or possibly surprise.'