Bayern Munich will travel take on RB Leipzig tomorrow as Thomas Tuchel’s side will be looking to maintain their position at the top of the Bundesliga.
Tuchel has had injury worries within the past week, especially in the defensive department as a makeshift back four was used in the 4-0 victory over Preußen Münster on Tuesday.
Midfielder Leon Goretzka and full back Noussair Mazraoui operated as the two centre-backs and were both comfortable in their positions on the night, however Tuchel is hoping that they won’t be needed there again this weekend after some positive updates with his defender’s fitness levels.
“Dayot Upamecano, Minjae Kim and Thomas Müller trained yesterday without any reactions to their injuries,” said Tuchel. “If it stays that way, they can be in the squad and then only Matthijs de Ligt and Serge Gnabry are out.”
Tuchel provided further update on Serge Gnabry who suffered a broken arm in the midweek fixture.
“In a normal case you’d say he’ll be out for four to six weeks, but it depends on many factors,” added Tuchel.
“We’ll have to be careful with contact. Individually, we will be able to map a lot so that he doesn’t lose too much conditionally and physically. Then we’ll have to see when he can get back in with a splint and whether we can possibly shorten that. But it remains a bitter loss for us.”
Raphaël Guerreiro also made his return from injury against Münster on Tuesday as he made his long-awaited Bayern Munich debut and Tuchel is delighted to have him as another option for his squad.
“I’m very pleased. He’s a fine footballer, very intelligent. He thinks two steps ahead and is very assured on the ball. He can play at left-back but also play in front of the defence. It’s good he’s back. He’s waited a long time for it and it was a good debut,” said Tuchel.
Finally, Manuel Neuer made his return to participating in a team training session yesterday after suffering from a broken leg since December 2022.
Tuchel is happy with his progress, however admits he is still some time away from being in matchday squads.
“It’s very good news. Manu did a partial integration. It wasn’t an intense session and he did parts of it. We mustn’t get carried away. It’s another step. Once he’s fully in training things can progress quickly, but he’s still some way off that,” added Tuchel.
GGFN | Matthew Gritton
