Guardiola: We are killing the players

The coach has taken a swipe at the fixture congestion so early in the Bavarians' season, while he is refusing to read too much into the table at the moment

Pep Guardiola has slammed the fixture congestion that is set to see Bayern Munich play their third game in seven days when they take on Paderborn on Tuesday.

Bayern beat Manchester City at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday before their 0-0 draw with Hamburg on Saturday and are set to take on the newly promoted Paderborn in Munich.

The Bavarians have been struggling to find their best form in the opening weeks of the 2014-15 campaign and Guardiola feels the hectic schedule of modern day football is hurting the players' health. 

"We're killing the players," he added. "We're asking too much of them. The players need time to rest.

"This is true not only for Bayern, but for Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. It is impossible to play every three days and keep the same players."

Two wins and two draws have seen the newly-promoted club surge to the top of the German league, while Guardiola's reigning champions are down in fourth despite accumulating the same number of points.

But the former Barcelona coach played down the importance of the Bundesliga standings at this stage of the season ahead of the match.

"The table isn't important yet," the former Barcelona coach told reporters on Monday. "We have to focus on our own results and performances, not others.

"Paderborn are very impressive, though, and we know why they're top of the table. They'll press us aggressively. They have nothing to lose."

Guardiola also added that his Bayern team could attend the famous Munich beer festival Oktoberfest - on the condition they defeat Paderborn this week.

Franck Ribery will definitely miss the game at the Allianz Arena, while Arjen Robben was confirmed as a doubt to feature.