Dante wary of 'world-class' Rooney

Posted Tuesday, April 08, 2014 by Goal.com

Dante wary of 'world-class' Rooney
Bayern Munich defender Dante and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney

The Brazilian centre-back has played againt the England striker before and feels his side must be cautious of the quality the Red Devils have in their side

Bayern Munich defender Dante is wary of the threat posed by Manchester United's Wayne Rooney if the striker is passed fit for Wednesday’s Champions League showdown.

Rooney missed Manchester United's 4-0 Premier League win at Newcastle United on Saturday, while Dante missed the first leg due of their quarter-final through suspension but is set to take his place in the Bavarians' backline for the return fixture.

And the Brazil international knows exactly what to expect from Rooney, provided the28-year-old is in the United side.

"I played against him for Brazil. He's a world class striker," he told Bayern's official website.

"He reads the game well, he's lightning fast over the first few yards and he has a brilliant shot.

"We'll have to be on our toes at the back - even if he's not in the side. Manchester United have a lot of quality players."

Bayern have the advantage after grabbing an away goal in a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford last week and Dante has urged Bayern fans to make the Allianz Arena a "cauldron" for the eagerly-awaited clash.

He said: "We're at home in front of nearly 70,000 fans. The Arena has to be like a cauldron. We need the atmosphere, we need our fans. I expect they will get behind us and be the twelfth man."

Bayern will be without the injured Xherdan Shaqiri, Thiago Alcantara, Diego Contento, and Holger Badstuber while Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez are suspended.