This weekend may be Vincent Kompany’s toughest test yet as manager of Bayern Munich. The first-year Bayern head coach has his side off to a perfect start thus far, having won all six matches across all competitions, but now the Bavarians are set to play host to reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena.
Following up on a truly remarkable Meisterschale-winnin 2023/24 season, Xabi Alonso’s side have only slipped up once thus far this season, which came in Bundesliga match week two by virtue of a dramatic 3-2 loss to RB Leipzig. This weekend’s clash really needs no introduction, but the result will already have pundits and fans alike talking about title ramifications.
In what is a much-welcomed injury boost for Bayern, it has been reported by Abendzeitung’s Kilian Kreitmar that keeper Manuel Neuer will make a return to action for the Rekordmeister for the weekend showdown with Die Werkself. The Bayern captain has been out ever since the second half of the 9-2 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb. He was subbed off for Sven Ulreich at the halftime interval after a nasty fall as a result of a mid-air collision with a Zagreb player shortly before the end of the first half.
Despite being expected to play against Werder Bremen last weekend in Bayern’s 5-0 win over Die Grün-Weißen, Ulreich starting for Neuer was a late switch from Kompany as a precaution as to not further aggravate Neuer’s existing problem. Thankfully, Neuer has resumed training after having the better part of the past week to recover from the injury sustained against Zagreb and he will be good to go for Leverkusen.
Much like last season, Kompany and Bayern’s staff will always air on the side of caution with Neuer as to not rush him back from injury too quickly. The keeper has also stood firm in his stance to stay retired from the German national team even with the recent injury to Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen, so he will always be able to closely monitored by Bayern’s physios as opposed to having to share some of that time with Germany.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on the latest Bayern Munich news? Great, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show to hear what we have to say on the Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen match, the big test for Bayern’s defense, Jamal Musiala’s contract demands, Bayern’s interest in Florian Wirtz, and MORE! You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
