Mandzukic: I always knew I could go on a run

13-Feb-2013 10:40:00 PM

The Croatian striker has claimed that he was confident of making an impact at Bayern Munich, having ousted Mario Gomez from Jupp Heynckes' starting XI

Mario Mandzukic has claimed that he was always confident of putting together a run of form at Bayern Munich.

The Croat has scored 14 Bundesliga goals since his summer move to the Allianz Arena, and has recently cemented his status as Jupp Heynckes' first-choice striker ahead of Mario Gomez.

"I have always believed in myself and was convinced from the start that I could go on a run like this," he was quoted as saying on the club's official website.

"Mario also deserves to start games so that he gets back to his old form. He will be very important for us.

"Being in this team is something special. I want it to go on like this."

Bayern face Mandzukic's old club Wolfsburg on Friday, and the 26-year-old is looking forward to returning to the Volkswagen Arena and seeing old faces.

"I am delighted to came back to this stadium to play again, and to see my old team-mates and old friends off the pitch. I had a good time there.

"They have a good team with good individual players. We want to be the boss on the pitch."

Bayern and Wolfsburg kick off at 20:30CET on Friday. The Bavarians currently have a healthy 15-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.