Bayern Munich continued their good run of form in the Bundesliga on Friday with a convincing 4-1 win against Borussia Monchengladbach. There were several positives from this game for Vincent Kompany, as he gave opportunities to the squad players and young players from the academy.
The only blemish from the evening for Bayern was the lack of a clean sheet and the injury to Manuel Neuer. The veteran German goalkeeper had just returned to action after a three-week layoff due to a torn muscle fiber. Neuer trained with the first team during the week, which allowed him to start against Gladbach.
Bayern came out in the second half on Friday without Neuer. Jonas Urbig replaced the 39-year-old goalkeeper at halftime. It did look like a precautionary substitute. However, Bild is reporting that Neuer is set to miss the first of the round of 16 clash against Atalanta on Tuesday.
It remains to be seen how long Neuer will be on the sidelines due to the latest injury. Vincent Kompany told the media after the game that Neuer felt something in his calf. Since Die Roten didn’t want to take any risks, he was substituted at halftime.
Vincent Kompany on Manuel Neuer: "He felt something in his calf. I don't want to speculate, we'll see"
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) March 6, 2026
Urbig has done fairly well for Bayern over the last couple of weeks. Even though Bayern have not kept clean sheets, the goals conceded were not Urbig’s fault. He has done a good job while helping his defense play out from the back. The game against Atalanta in Bergamo will be another good test for the young German goalkeeper in his preparations to become Neuer’s long-term successor at Bayern.
Bayern hopeful about Harry Kane’s availability for Tuesday
Friday was a rare instance when Bayern were without their talisman in the attack. Harry Kane missed the game against Borussia Monchengladbach due to a minor injury. Kompany is hopeful about his return to action against Atalanta on Tuesday.
Nicolas Jackson delivered a fine performance against Gladbach while leading the line. The Senegalese won the penalty for the third goal and scored Die Roten’s fourth goal. Kompany’s had words of praise for Jackson after the win against Gladbach. If Kane is not fit to start in Italy on Tuesday, Jackson has a good chance of leading the attack for second consecutive game.
Hiroki Ito and Alphonso Davies have resumed running on the pitch this week. It remains to be seen if they will be available for the trip to Italy.