Hashemian to remain on Bayern bench for Chelsea match

IRNA - Vahid Hashemian will remain a substitute for Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal first-leg showdown with Chelsea although Bayern's starting strikers Claudio Pizarro and Roy Makaay were injured in their 3-0 victory against Bundesliga rivals VfL Wolfsburg, news reports said Monday.

While Pizarro, suffering from a torn thigh muscle will be sidelined for two weeks and will definitely miss the Chelsea match in London, Bayern's medical team still hopes to be able to cure Makaay's thigh muscle problems by Wednesday.

The German press speculated over the weekend that Hashemian could team up with Peru's Paulo Guerrero in Bayern's frontline attack should Makaay be out for the face-off with Chelsea.

Hashemian has been held goalless this Bundesliga season in seven games in which he came in as a substitute and the former VfL Bochum forward has not even played a single minute in Bayern's Champions League matches.

The 28-year-old player whose contract with the Bavarian club expires in the summer of 2007 has been allowed to leave Bayern at the end of this season for a 1.5 million euro transfer sum.

A frustrated reserve striker, the Iranian goalgetter has failed to live up to the high expectations following his 2 million euro transfer from VfL Bochum last summer.