Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Tuesday leave for a training camp in Qatar with an almost complete squad to get in shape for the deciding part of the season.
"We will prepare in the best possible way," coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
Bayern will train until January 11 in Doha for their league restart nine days later at Freiburg, ending a 12-day holiday for everyone since they trounced RB Leipzig 3-0 in a December 21 table topper.
Ancelotti has more time to prepare the team than in summer where many players arrived late for pre-season training after Euro 2016.
Centre-back Jerome Boateng is sidelined after chest surgery but could still join the team in Qatar. Winger Kingsley Coman will continue working on his comeback from a knee and ankle injury.
Bayern top the Bundesliga three points ahead of Leipzig as they bid for a fifth straight title.
They are also in the last 16 of the German cup (playing VfL Wolfsburg on February 7) and the Champions League (against Arsenal February 14 and March 7) as they aim to repeat the title treble from 2013.
"The deciding stage of the season isn't until spring, although it does start in February with the Champions League knock-out phase. But we still have a few weeks of peace until then," Ancelotti told the tz daily.
