Ribery, Robben to miss Bayern Munich Bundesliga return with injury
Veteran wing duo Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are both injured and will miss Bayern Munich’s first Bundesliga match of 2019 against Hoffenheim.
Bayern Munich ended their winter training camp in Doha today and have returned to Munich in preparation of the remainder of the ’18-19 season. They kick off the Rückrunde next Friday with an away match against TSG Hoffenheim.
The Bavarians sit six points off Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund, and they’ll need to pick up results early if they hope to continue pushing for their seventh consecutive German title. Beginning the second half of the season with a big win over Julian Nagelsmann’s side would be a great indication for the rest of the league that Bayern are back in business.
Niko Kovac, however, will have to escape with all three points without the help of a few senior players. Both Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery will miss the match with injury.
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Robben has been struggling with a nagging injury for some time now. According to Sport Bild the Dutchman has not yet recovered from his thigh injury and will not be fit for next weekend’s game.
Ribery, meanwhile, picked up his injury in Bayern’s winter training camp. Per a statement from the club’s official website, Franck tore his hamstring in a training match on Wednesday. Like Robben, he will definitely be unavailable for next Friday’s match against Hoffenheim. He’ll likely miss a few weeks beyond that as well.
The absence of Robbery will be a blow for Kovac, sure, but things could certainly be much worse. Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman are likely the Croatian’s first choice wing partnership anyway, so it’s a big boost that both players are fit heading into the second half of the season.
Alphonso Davies has completed his move from Vancouver Whitecaps, too, so there’s a good chance he could make a substitute appearance against Hoffenheim if necessary. Furthermore, shoulc Callum Hudson-Odoi’s transfer from Chelsea materialize, he could find himself in a match day squad much sooner than expected.
Of course, James Rodriguez has also returned to fitness following his spell on the sidelines, while Thomas Muller can also do a job on the right flank if needed.
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Ribery and Robben are both still good players on their day, but it’s past time Bayern Munich prepare for life without them. Spending a few weeks without either player available will give Bayern fans a glimpse of what life will be like post-Robbery.