Bayern Munich is set to welcome fans back in Allianz Arena after 18 months on Sunday as they host FC Koln in the first game of the season. The defending champions will finally get some sort of atmosphere at Allianz Arena as there will be 20,000 fans in the stadium.
Ahead of the highly anticipated game against Koln, Bayern survived an injury scare on Thursday. Manuel Neuer sat out of the training due to a minor injury he suffered against Borussia Dortmund in DFL Supercup on Tuesday. However, there are no fears regarding his participation in Sunday’s Bundesliga game.
According to Sport1, Neuer has not suffered a serious injury, so he should be ready for the weekend’s game. The German goalkeeper will be raring to lead the team at Allianz Arena in front of fans after such a long time.
Neuer was in top form against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. He made a fantastic save in the first half to deny Marco Reus a certain goal and lead to Dortmund. The save turned out to be crucial as the momentum swung in Die Roten’s favour, which resulted in 1-0 lead before halftime.
News #Neuer: He has already given a positive signal internally. Capsule injury is not serious. He could be ready to play against @fckoeln. @SPORT1 #FCBayern
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 19, 2021
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If Neuer does miss out Sunday’s game against FC Koln, then Sven Ulreich will get the opportunity to make his second debut for Die Roten. The German goalkeeper returned to Bavaria from Hamburg in the summer on a free transfer. Rekordmeister decided to bring him back to Bavaria after Alexander Nubel went out on a two-year loan to Monaco. It was a win-win situation for all parties, as Nubel will get consistent playing time next season.
Neuer still has a lot of time left at the top level, so Nubel was never going to get adequate game time in Bavaria. Ulreich is the perfect number two for Die Roten. Meanwhile, Nubel will return after gaining a lot of experience at Monaco in the next two years.
Early Team News for Koln game
The other absentees for Sunday’s Bundesliga game are Marc Roca and Lucas Hernandez. Hernandez has been training on the pitch, but he is likely to be back in action after the first international break. Roca may also need a similar amount of recovery time to make his return.
Corentin Tolisso made his return to the action against Dortmund after missing pre-season due to covid. The French midfielder made an instant impact after coming off the bench on Tuesday as he provided the assist for the third goal in 3-1 win against Dortmund. It remains to be seen whether he will be at the club beyond this transfer window.