Bayern Munich hit with injury bug ahead of matchup with Arsenal
Multiple Bayern Munich stars have suffered a slight injury crisis in recent days. The German giants have revealed that starting goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and new January signing Sacha Boey picked up setbacks this week. The incidents occurred while the club is on an international break. Nevertheless, both players suffered injuries during training sessions.
Neuer, one of the top goalkeepers of his generation, went down while on international duty with Germany. “Manuel Neuer has torn a muscle in his left adductor while training with the German national team,” Bayern said in a statement. “The diagnosis was confirmed by the DFB medical unit. The FC Bayern captain will therefore miss the upcoming friendlies against France and the Netherlands and return to Munich.”
Boey, on the other hand, picked up his specific injury while practicing with his club. “FC Bayern will be without full-back Sacha Boey for the next few weeks,” claimed the club. “The new arrival this winter suffered a torn muscle in his left hamstring during training on Wednesday. The diagnosis was confirmed by the FC Bayern medical unit.”
Star striker for Bayern Munich also dealing with an ankle injury
The two setbacks come just days after superstar striker Harry Kane went down with an ankle injury during a recent Bundesliga fixture. Kane required a substitution in the matchup with Darmstadt on Saturday, March 16th after colliding with the goalpost. The England captain did manage to recently meet up with his national team earlier this week.
Nevertheless, the center forward is not currently training with the squad and is a doubt to play their two upcoming friendlies. The Three Lions face Brazil on Saturday, March 23 and then play Belgium three days later. Bayern will certainly hope that Kane will receive ample rest during the coming days.
Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund recently claimed that the club is in close contact with England national team officials. Freund even asserted that the Three Lions will not “take any risks” regarding Kane.
Germans set to play Arsenal in less than three weeks
As Bayern sweats on the fitness of the trio, the injuries could not have exactly come at a worse time. The reigning Bundesliga champions are currently second in the table and seem unlikely to chase down league leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Perhaps more importantly, the Bavarians are set to face Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
The first leg of the matchup will be played in London on Tuesday, April 9th. This date is currently less than three weeks away. While Kane’s setback does not seem as serious as Neuer or Boey’s, the latter stars may miss the massive match.
Arsenal will be looking for revenge in the upcoming two-legged affair. After all, Bayern has been a thorn in the English club’s side in recent Champions League fixtures. The Germans previously knocked out the Gunners in the competition in 2005, 2013, 2014, and 2017. Bayern even demolished Arsenal by an aggregate scoreline of 10-2 in the latter matchup.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be well aware of the recent hoodoo with Bayern. The former midfielder was in the team’s squad when they faced the German giants in 2013 and 2014. Nevertheless, the current injury issues within the Bayern camp could very well give the Gunners a boost on the pitch next month.
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