Ribery to make first impression - in German cup

 The best will be saved for last as the Frenchman Ribery and his Bayern Munich team-mates visit third division Wacker Burghausen on Monday night.

 Ribery became the most expensive player in German football history in a 25-million-euros (34.2 million dollars) summer move from Marseille to Munich.

 A majority of Germans (53.66 per cent from 82,300 participants) and half of the 18 Bundesliga captains - all through a poll by Kicker sports magazine - expect Ribery to stand out in the new season.

 Ribery, for his part tried to downplay the expectations even though he was spectacular in several pre-season games.

 "I don't want to be the big superstar. I want to work hard, do my job and have fun," he said.

 Munich have invested a record 70 million euros in new players like forwards Luca Toni of Italy and Miroslav Klose after a disappointing past season, and defeat in Burghausen is something they are not thinking about.

 Ribery is set to return from knee problems, and Munich are not concerned that Toni and Germany wing back Marcell Jansen are sidelined with injury.

 "We want victories and success in the season, from Monday onwards," said Munich's Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.

 With upsets never out of the question in the cup competition, especially this early in the season, title holders Nuremberg visit fifth division side Victoria Hamburg on Sunday.

 Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart are at second division SC Wehen and Bayer Leverkusen also visit a division two team, the 2006 semi-finalists St. Pauli Hamburg. Both games are Saturday.

 A total 32 games are scheduled for the first cup round which comes one week ahead of the start of the Bundesliga season.

 The cup actions kicks off Friday night with a second-division duel between ambitious newcomers Hoffenheim and Augsburg. Hoffenheim are sponsored by German billionaire Dietmar Hopp, co-founder of software giants SAP.

DPA