Football: Bayern's Ancelotti Relishing His Jena Return

BERLIN, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Augst,2016) - Carlo Ancelotti re-visits the scene of an embarrassing defeats on Friday when Bayern Munich play minnows Carl Zeiss Jena in the first-round of the German Cup. Back in their heyday Jena once reached the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, beating Roma, for whom Ancelotti was a player at the time, on the way. Bayern's new coach had one of the worst nights of his career on October 1, 1980, when he lost 4-0 with Roma, having netted in a 3-0 win in the home leg in Rome. The Italians bowed out of the first-round while Jena advanced to the 1981 final, losing 2-1 to Dinamo Tbilisi in Duesseldorf. "I was in Jena in 1980, it wasn't good," said Ancelotti on Thursday. "The defeat is unforgettable. "There are defeats in a career which linger and when I hear 'Jena' you remember everything. "I'm looking forward to going back there after 36 years.

" Having been a powerhouse in East German football, Jena's fortunes dipped after reunification in 1990. Following spells in Germany's second and third divisions, they dropped to the fourth league in 2012. The visit of defending Bundesliga champions and German cup holders Bayern is a plum cup draw, especially with Jena top of their regional league after four straight wins. "It's a special game because the opponents are special.

This is the dream draw - an absolute highlight," said Jena's coach Mark Zimmermann. On paper, Jena's team, which includes Namibia international midfielder Manfred Starke and Serbian defender Filip Krstic, has little chance. But extra stands have been fitted at the Ernst Abbe Sportfeld stadium to boost the capacity to a sell-out crowd of 18,800.