After a shock defeat against VfL Bochum last weekend, Bayern Munich roared back in form with a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. They will face Inter Milan in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, courtesy of an emphatic 5-0 win on aggregate against Leverkusen.
However, the positive week on the pitch for Bayern has been marred by an injury to one of the crucial members of the starting lineup. While talking to the press on Friday, Vincent Kompany revealed that Kim Min-jae is set to be out for a few weeks due to Achilles tendon problems.
According to TZ, Kim Min-jae should return after the international break and be available for the big games against Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan in April. The two weeks of international break will give Kim Min-jae time to rest and get in the best shape for the final phase of the season.
❕ Vincent Kompany: "Kim Min-jae is injured. I hope it won't take long, but he'll be out for the next few weeks" pic.twitter.com/WAgH89odbF
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) March 14, 2025
Kim Min-jae has been part of first choice center-back pairing at Bayern this season. The former Napoli defender has formed a strong partnership with Dayot Upamecano in the heart of defense.
After enduring a difficult second half of last season, Kim Min-jae has recovered well and shown his quality on the pitch. The 28-year-old defender’s performances are even more commendable since he had to play through pain at different stages this season.
Bayern will hope that this break of a few weeks will allow Kim to recover completely from these recurring problems and play a big role on the pitch during the business end of the season.
Manuel Neuer close to regaining full fitness
Manuel Neuer is taking steps in the right direction to recover from his injury. According to Bild, the experienced German goalkeeper started running on the pitch at Sabner Strasse this week. Neuer is expected to be back in action after the international break. He should be completely ready for the quarter-final clash against Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Jonas Urbig has done a fine job in the absence of Neuer. The young goalkeeper delivered an impressive performance in Leverkusen on Tuesday to help Bayern keep a clean sheet away from home in Europe, which has been a rarity this season.
Meanwhile, Alexandar Pavlovic is expected to miss the weekend’s game against Union Berlin. The record champions want to give Pavlovic an ample amount of time to recover from illness and don’t want to rush him back to action. The young midfielder is likely to return after the international break.