Star centre-half Dayot Upamecano is expected to return to the starting XI for Bayern Munich in the upcoming midweek fixture. The Frenchman was unavailable for selection against Union Saint-Gilloise last Wednesday and against Augsburg last Saturday after suffering a minor illness.
According to BILD, Upamecano has completed the full training session and is ready to go against an aspirant PSV in two days. The Dutch side is desperate for three points to keep their Round of 16 hopes alive.
Upamecano's return is much needed for the final match of the UEFA Champions League's League Phase, following recent injuries and suspensions to key starters. His replacement, Kim Min-jae, unfortunately, picked up two ill-advised yellow cards against Union Saint-Gilloise and will be suspended for this away trip.
Josip Stanisic and Konrad Laimer are battling injuries and can only return in February, leaving Vincent Kompany with limited choice at the back.
The Belgian fielded the centre-back duo of Jonathan Tah and Kim Min-jae twice in just three days. Left-footed Raphael Guerreiro, Tom Bischof, and Alphonso Davies all had to run cameos on the right flank.
Kompany is also rightfully reluctant to play 16-year-old youth prospect Cassiano Kiala. Although he is undeniably talented, he lacks the experience and physicality of a top-flight defender.
Bayern struggled due to absence of defensive personnel against Augsburg
Fatigue and positional unnaturalness were shown in Bayern's first Bundesliga defeat of the season against Augsburg, despite having home advantage. Kim Min-jae had to be subbed off early, while Alphonso Davies struggled defensively and offensively in an unfamiliar right-back position.
While Dayot Upamecano cannot fill in the missing gap along the right-hand side, he brings a lot of stability and protection for the players playing out of position as a right-sided centre-back, allowing them to push forward more and impact attacking sequences.
Bayern will seek all three points in this outing in Eindhoven. Die Roten has secured a top-four spot, but would still need at least a draw to clinch the number two position in the points table.
With Upamecano returning to the lineup, Jonathan Tah will likely get a deserved rest after featuring in the past five matches, playing 90 minutes in four of them. Hiroki Ito will likely be the chosen partner alongside the French center-back.
PSV will be hungry to make amends after suffering a 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United. Unlike Bayern, PSV is 22nd in the points table, needing a win to clinch a spot in the play-off round. Upamecano and company will need to be on the lookout for the opposition's talented attackers, including familiar faces like Paul Wanner and Ivan Perisic.