Bayern Munich were dealt with a fresh injury blow as David Alaba suffers a hairline fracture in his ribs.
The weekend started on a sore note for Bayern Munich as David Alaba suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs. On Thursday, Die Roten provided an update on his condition, saying that he bruised his ribs. However, after further tests on Friday, Bayern confirmed that the Austrian full-back is ruled out for the game against Hoffenheim. He is expected to be out for some time due to this injury.
Alaba is unlikely to play for Austria during the international break. The 28-year-old left-back suffered this injury against Tottenham Hotspurs on Tuesday. He was substituted at the start of the second half in this game. Niko Kovac was hopeful that Alaba might feature against Hoffenheim as he did some indoor training on Thursday.
The Austrian full-back had endured frustrating last few weeks due to injuries. He made his comeback from a muscle injury on Tuesday. Alaba had suffered this injury just before the game against RB Leipzig.
Apart from Alaba, Lucas Hernandez is the other Bayern defender that will not play this weekend. The French defender is recovering from a minor knee injury. Kovac was expecting him to not play for France in the next two weeks, but Didier Deschamps included him in the French squad for upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers.
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Kovac will have to make changes to the defense against Hoffenheim due to these injuries. It will be interesting to see whether he moves Joshua Kimmich back in defense and compromise the balance in midfield. The German international is consistently delivering sublime performances in the center of the park.
Moving Kimmich in the defense will be a wiser move as Bayern have enough quality in midfield to beat Hoffenheim. The German will slot in the right-back position, while Benjamin Pavard will replace Alaba in the left-back position.
The international break will allow the injury problems to ease out at Die Roten. Leon Goretzka is currently recovering from a thigh injury, which he suffered at the start of September. The German midfielder is likely to start training after this international break.
Jann-Fiete Arp will also take massive strides towards making his comeback during the next two weeks. The German forward suffered a fracture in his left wrist during first-team training last week. He is yet to make his Bundesliga debut for Bayern as he missed the initial games of the season due to illness.