Bayern Munich has a brilliant opportunity in the Champions League

Makaay's team Bayern Munich can become one of the first clubs to book their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League in their next match against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.

It's good to know that a victory or draw at the Allianz Arena would guarantee the Bavarians a place in the last 16, but coach Felix Magath has just set his sights on the first option.

"Our aim is no longer to reach the second stage, we want to finish first," he admitted.

With three triumphs in three games, Bayern have put their inconsistent Bundesliga form behind them to send out a clear warning to the rest of European teams.

According to the latest results, the German powerhouse may have started their European campaign in pessimistic mood, but wins over Spartak Moscow, Internazionale and Sporting Lisbon have altered the climate in Bavaria.

In fact, they can now create a new club record by winning their fourth-straight group game on Tuesday.

And should Inter fail to win in Moscow earlier in the evening, a win would also see Makaay's teammates clinch top spot with two games still remaining.

"We definitely want to finish the group first so as to have home advantage in the second round," said in-form striker Roy Makaay.

The Dutchman striker is the club's top goalscorer this season after spending several months trying to find his best form.

It's important to notice that he is now back in the kind of shape which had terrorised the Bundesliga defenders in his first two years with the team.

"Roy is on the way back to his best and is one of the most accomplished strikers in Europe," Magath belives.

His authority was not respected by Claudio Pizarro on Saturday when the Peruvian striker assumed the responsibility for taking a penalty he had earned.

However, after missing from the spot, Pizarro bore the brunt of criticism from both his coach and strike partner.

"In future, only Roy takes the penalties," joked Makaay after the 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

The pair have already put the episode behind them and will work together to score the goals Bayern need on Tuesday, while amateur forward Stefan Maierhofer, who made his Bundesliga debut on Saturday, has been added to the team list as back-up.

The young player deputises for the injured Lukas Podolski, while Bastian Schweinsteiger is also a doubt with Hasan Salihamidzic on standby to take the place of the match-winner in Portugal.

We must also mention that Sporting were held to a 3-3 draw by Beira Mar at the weekend.