Bayern Munich suffered a significant injury blow on Saturday during their game against VfB Stuttgart. The Bavarian club was forced to make a change within 10 minutes when Aleksandar Pavlović injured his collarbone after an awkward fall while contesting for a header. The German midfielder went straight to the locker room for treatment while Bayern replaced him with João Palhinha.
Die Roten have already confirmed that Pavlović will need surgery to repair the fractured collarbone. According to Bild, Pavlović will be out of action for at least three months. He will not be playing again in 2024. He is likely to make a comeback after the winter break.
It is a significant blow for Vincent Kompany since Pavlović was his go-to man in the center of the park. The 20-year-old is first-choice midfielder for the Belgian coach alongside Joshua Kimmich. He had started eight games for Bayern across all competitions this season.
Other midfielders need to step up in the absence of Pavlović
Kompany is likely to deploy Palhinha with Kimmich for the upcoming games. The injury to Pavlović allows Palhinha to get a run of games in the starting XI. The Portuguese midfielder has started only one game for Die Roten since arriving from Fulham in the summer transfer window.
Palhinha has been calm about his situation, while Bayern were also taking a patient approach to integrate him into the starting XI. Kompany will hope Palhinha can now step up and deliver consistent performances in the absence of Pavlović.
Pavlović’s injury also raises the possibility of game time for Konrad Laimer and Leon Goretzka in the center of the park. Laimer has been used in the right-back position by Kompany since Sacha Boey and Josip Stanišić have been injured for weeks. The Austrian came on to replace Raphaël Guerreiro in the right-back position against VfB Stuttgart.
Meanwhile, Leon Goretzka has been the forgotten man at Bayern. The German international has struggled to get playing time under Vincent Kompany. Goretzka’s future is likely to be away from Munich, but he may still have a role to play for Die Roten this season due to Pavlović’s injury.
Pavlović has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Bayern in the last 18 months. He provides composure in the midfield, which allows Bayern to dictate the tempo of the game. The German star will be badly missed in the next three months, but Kompany certainly has several quality options in the midfield to compensate for Pavlović’s absence.