As of: February 5, 2024, 2:30 p.m
By: Philipp Kessler, Vinzent Tschirpke
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For much of the season so far, coach Thomas Tuchel has had to struggle with injuries to his stars and a thin squad.
These times are finally coming to an end.
Munich – FC Bayern was on the rocks for months.
For weeks, coach Thomas Tuchel's team has virtually formed itself.
Now there is slowly light at the end of the tunnel again.
At FC Bayern there is finally competition again
After the transfers of defender Eric Dier (30/loan from Tottenham), right-back Sacha Boey (23/came from Galatasaray Istanbul for almost 30 million euros) and Bryan Zaragoza (22/early move from Granada) in the winter and with a view to the Some of the injured have returned just in time for the cracker on Saturday (6.30 p.m.) in Leverkusen and there is finally competition again against the German record champions.
“We are happy that we have several options and a wider squad range.
This is important for the next few weeks,” emphasizes sports director Christoph Freund (46).
“We have good competition, that's what we want to keep the quality high.” In all parts of the team.
Davies is injured before a bang – Upamecano before a comeback
Defense:
Left defender Alphonso Davies (23) is out with a strained medial ligament in his left knee.
Dayot Upamecano (25) is expected back in team training this week.
The Frenchman was recently missing with a torn muscle fiber in his left rear thigh.
The ideal scenario is that he can be there against Leverkusen.
“We will definitely try that,” said Tuchel after Saturday’s 3-1 win against Mönchengladbach.
On Monday, Upamecano completed an individual session with Kimmich with the ball on Säbener Straße.
The Frenchman will soon be fighting again with the resurgent Matthijs de Ligt (24) and Dier for a place in the center of defense.
The Dutch-English duo worked very well together against Gladbach.
“He is a very experienced player.
“He’s very clever with and without the ball,” enthused de Ligt about Dier.
“It fits well together.
We also talk to each other a lot.” Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the two will form Bayern’s core central defense in the future.
The South Korean defensive monster Minjae Kim (27) will also return from the Asian Cup next week at the latest.
There is also competition on the right side of the back four thanks to Boey's signing.
Most recently, Africa Cup returnee Noussair Mazraoui (26) was given preference.
But Boey also did a good job after coming on as a substitute against Gladbach.
Thomas Tuchel has more options again.
© IMAGO/Bernd Feil/MiS
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Joshua Kimmich is pushing for a comeback – to the chagrin of Goretzka?
Midfield:
Like Upamecano, Joshua Kimmich (28) is also expected back this week.
The midfield star sustained an injury to his left shoulder in the catch-up game against Union Berlin, but is already eager for his comeback in the important league summit against league leaders Leverkusen, but is still publicly curbing his expectations.
When asked after the Gladbach game whether he would be there on Saturday, he said: “I don’t know.
I would need a crystal ball for that.” According to Tuchel, a decision will be made “in the middle of the week”.
It is possible that Kimmich will slip back into the starting line-up instead of Leon Goretzka (28).
Sixth seed Aleksandar Pavlovic (19) is likely to be last after two strong performances.
Attack:
Thomas Müller (34) couldn't really convince against Gladbach (
tz
grade 4).
If Tuchel puts the veteran back on the bench against Leverkusen, it could be possible that super dribbler Jamal Musiala (20) moves back to the tenth position from outside.
This would leave room for newcomer Zaragoza on the wing.
Tuchel remains cautious despite reinforcements
The fact is: Tuchel finally has more options available again.
In the coming weeks, Kingsley Coman (27/torn knee ligament), Serge Gnabry (28/adductor tendon injury), Konrad Laimer (26/torn calf muscle fiber) and Davies will also gradually return.
When asked whether the squad is now set up to be able to play in the championship and the Champions League, Tuchel is still cautious: “We will prove that and then we will talk about it at the end of the season.” The competition brings at least a breath of fresh air.
Philipp Kessler, Vinzent Tschirpke