Several Bayern Munich players get called up for national team duty
Even if Muller, Hummels and Boateng have been dropped by Germany, Bayern Munich will be well represented over the next international break.
Bayern Munich made an early exit from the Champions League on Wednesday, when they fell 3-1 at home to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. The round of 16 loss marks the earliest Champions League departure the Bavarians have made since 2011.
Even without the potential of winning the biggest title in Europe, Bayern still have much to play for this season. They currently have a slight edge over rivals Borussia Dortmund in a tight Bundesliga title race and are favored to go on to win the DFB Pokal.
It’s been a busy start to 2019 for Bayern, but the club will finally have some time off next weekend when the first batch of international fixtures for the year begin. Veteran stars Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng may not be featuring with the German national team, but the Bavarians will still have plenty of representatives over the international break.
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As usual, the bulk of Bayern’s international representatives will be playing under Joachim Low with the German national team. Five players — Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Niklas Sule, Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry — could feature for Die Mannschaft in their upcoming friendly against Serbia and subsequent Nations League match against the Netherlands.
One of the most notable national team call-ups came for Kingsley Coman. The 22-year-old will suit up again for France again for the first time in over a year. He narrowly missed out on this past summer’s World Cup and will no doubt be delighted to again have the opportunity to feature for Les Bleus.
Robert Lewandowski was recently promoted to Bayern’s third captain, but he’s no stranger to a leadership role with the Polish national team. Lewandowski will captain Poland in their upcoming matches, one of which is against Austria, meaning the Pole is likely to face off against his club teammate David Alaba.
Finally, Bayern will be represented by two players from the Western hemisphere as well. James Rodriguez is no stranger to starring for the Colombia national team, and he will do so once again in two friendlies — one against Japan and the other against South Korea — within the next few weeks.
Similarly, Canada’s brightest young prospect Alphonso Davies will lead his national team in a CONCACAF Nations League qualifier against French Guiana next Sunday.
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The fact that Thiago Alcantara did not get a call-up to the Spanish national team is truly surprising, especially given the season he has had so far. Beyond that, Renato Sanches might feel cheated at missing a chance to play for Portugal’s national team due to a real lack of minutes at Bayern in recent months.