SAINTS will be looking to increase Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld's defensive concerns tonight.

The Ted Bates Memorial Trophy friendly will be Bayern's fourth game in just over a week as they finish their preparations for a Bundesliga return against Hanover next weekend.

And so far Hitzfeld cannot have been over-impressed.

Bayern's first friendly was a 2-2 draw against German Second Division club Energie Cottbus in Dubai 10 days ago.

The game formed part of Bayern's eight-day mid-season training camp in the Middle East, and saw top scorer Roy Makaay score twice.

But even though the sun was shining, the players didn't get an easy life. Echoing Gordon Strachan's own pre-season training camps in Scotland, Hitzfeld said: "We trained very intensively,.

"The surprisingly good state of the training ground meant the players were only awarded one afternoon off - and that was because we'd almost pushed them too hard."

On returning to Germany, Bayern were surprisingly beaten 2-1 in a friendly at Second Division promotion-chasers FSV Mainz 05.

Bayern were without star keeper Oliver Kahn (absent in the Far East), defender Willy Sagnol (knee) and midfielder Jens Jeremies (flu).

After falling behind Bayern levelled through Michael Ballack before half-time.

Ballack failed to re-appear for the second half due to injury, and it was the hosts who scored again following an error from substitute defender Martin Demichelis.

Ballack was back in the starting line-up for Bayern's third friendly at Second Division Wuppertaler SV on Saturday.

He was one of seven players replaced at half-time for a game in which Bayern won 5-3.

Brazilian Z Roberto opened the scoring with a superb free-kick after just four minutes and Ballack doubled the lead eight minutes later.

After the hosts had reduced the arrears, Ballack set up Makaay to make it 3-1. Again Wuppertaler responded but it was 4-1 when Sammy Kuffour headed in a corner on the hour mark.

As heavy snow swirled around the stadium, the hosts pegged Bayern back to 4-3 before sub Owen Hargreaves set up Claudio Pizarro to complete the scoring.

Bayern (v Wuppertaker SV): Kahn (Rensing 46); Lizarazu (Kuffour 46), Demichelis, Linke, Sagnol (Lell 46); Z Roberto (Salihamidzic 46), Jeremies (Hargreaves 46), Trochowski, Ballack (Schweinsteiger 46); Makaay (Pizarro 46), Santa Cruz