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BERLIN, Aug 14 (Reuters) - German champions Bayern Munich will start the new season against Hamburg SV on Friday without the Bundesliga's top scorer last term, Luca Toni.
The Italy striker, who topped the charts with 24 goals in his debut season after moving from Fiorentina, has failed to recover in time after tearing a calf muscle three weeks ago.
"Luca will still be missing," new coach Juergen Klinsmann told the club's website (www.fcbayern.t-home.de) after Toni had a jogging session at the club's training ground on Wednesday. "We're very hopeful he'll make it in time for Dortmund," Klinsmann added, looking ahead to the game at Borussia on Aug. 23.
Toni's strike partner Miroslav Klose summed up the mood of the Bayern camp, saying: "Luca needs some more time. We don't want him coming back too soon and then picking up another injury two weeks later."
Klinsmann is having to re-shuffle his pack as crowd favourite Franck Ribery is one of five other players unavailable for a tricky opener against a side who finished fourth last season.
Turkey midfielder Hamit Altintop is an injury doubt, but should pull through after a recurrence of an ankle problem caused by the surgical plate inserted to speed his recovery from a fractured metatarsal last March.
OLYMPIC PLAYERS
Hamburg have Belgium central defender Vincent Kompany back from the Olympic soccer tournament in China, following his sending-off in their defeat by Brazil.
His club team mates back in Germany made a bright start to the new campaign last weekend with a 3-1 win over Ingolstadt in the first round of the DFB Cup.
Hamburg's new coach Martin Jol was not getting carried away by the win as he prepared for Friday's clash with Bayern.
"They are two completely different games, that cannot be compared to each other," the Dutchman told Hamburg's website (www.hsv.de). "It is always good to start a season with a victory, but we know full well what we have to do."
Bundesliga runners-up Werder Bremen start on Saturday with an away game at Arminia Bielefeld, while fellow title hopefuls Schalke 04 are home to Hanover 96.
Bremen will be missing Brazilian midfielder Diego, who is on Olympic duty, but will be buoyed by the form of Ivorian striker Boubacar Sanogo, who scored twice in Wednesday's 3-0 friendly win over Danish first division side Esbjerg.
Schalke, who beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 in their Champions League third qualifying round first leg on Wednesday, also have a Brazilian at the Olympic soccer tournament after defender Rafinha left without permission. However, the club later agreed for him to stay at the Games.
