Injured Toni denied Florence return
Saturday, November 1, 2008
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Luca Toni has been denied an emotional return to Florence after being ruled out of FC Bayern München's Group F tie with his former club ACF Fiorentina on Wednesday through injury.
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Slow healing
Toni was forced off the pitch after sustaining a rib injury and torn stomach muscle in Bayern's 1-0 win against Karlsruher SC on 18 October, but played through the pain as he helped them beat Fiorentina 3-0 in their first Group F encounter three days later. However, the 31-year-old, who was replaced by Lukas Podolski after 57 minutes against the Viola at the Fuβball Arena München, has not featured in Bayern's three Bundesliga fixtures since Matchday 3.
Klinsmann anxious
"The healing process is not going quite as quickly as we had initially hoped," said Bayern coach Jürgen Klinsmann. "That means Luca Toni will miss the game in Florence." The Italian international has struck three times in seven league matches this term, and Klinsmann is anxious to have the 2006 FIFA World Cup winner back. "Our medical staff are working very intensively with Luca," said the former Germany coach. "We hope he'll be back in the team as soon as possible."