Bayern Munich depleted at right-back following Konrad Laimer's injury

In two games in a row, Bayern Munich finished with only 10 men on the field at the full-time whistle.

Not because of any ill-advised sent-off, but it was the unfortunate circumstances when an injured player needed to be taken off without any available substitutions.

Konrad Laimer went down with a muscle injury in stoppage time against FC Koln. Early reports suggest that the Austrian will miss around a month.

Last weekend, Josip Stanisic suffered serious damage to his ankle ligament in the dying minutes of the rout against Wolfsburg after landing awkwardly following the tackle. The Croatian international will face a lengthy period away from football. He is estimated to return in three weeks.

Bayern have several right-backs on the sidelines

Another two regular starters on the injury list spark a serious personnel crisis for Bayern Munich after Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, and Sacha Boey are all ruled out.

The long list of absentees inflicts a devastating blow to Bayern's rotation potential amid a congested January and February fixture when Die Roten will have to play six games in little more than two weeks.
This run of matches includes a hard-fought battle against RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga as well as two Champions League matches.

Vincent Kompany is now left with limited options on both flanks. Hiroki Ito would be the most sensible option on the left. In case Ito needs some rest, the versatile Tom Bischof will be able to fill the gap, with Davies aiming to return soon.

Meanwhile, all of his options on the right, Laimer, Stanisic, Boey and even Kimmich, are unavailable. In such a desperate situation, Vincent Kompany will likely have to apply an interesting tactic that he implemented in a few matchups this season.

Swiss Army Knife Raphael Guerreiro was deployed as an inverted right-back against Club Brugge in the Champions League and Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga. He has had outstanding minutes in this unusual position.

His technical ability and attacking mindset create a dangerous partnership with Michael Olise. Guerreiro is also capable of penetrating the opposition's vulnerable areas, as shown by his goal and assist against Gladbach when he exploited the half-space and space behind the centre-half.

The Portuguese veteran filled in for Laimer in the last minutes of the midweek fixture and looks ready to start the high-stakes clash against RB Leipzig this weekend.

Good news for Kompany and Bayern fans, Joshua Kimmich is near a return and could provide a few quality minutes as a right-back if Raphael Guerreiro needs a breather.

The 20-year-old Tom Bischof is also another option who can play the role mentioned above by Guerreiro. We will wait and see what Vincent Kompany comes up with in one of the biggest games of the domestic campaign.