Bayern Munich: Noussair Mazraoui likely to miss AFCON due to injury

Bayern Munich can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to injuries in the defensive department. The Bavarian club has seen several defenders in the first team have a spell on the sidelines due to injuries this season. Noussair Mazraoui is the latest Bayern defender to suffer a serious injury.

Mazraoui was substituted at half-time against Manchester United on Tuesday due to a calf injury. According to Sport1 and Bild, the Moroccan right-back will be out for four to six weeks due to this injury. Bayern have confirmed that Mazraoui has been ruled out for the upcoming games.

Noussair Mazraoui is expected to miss the AFCON for Morocco. Sport1 reports that the defender is still hopeful about playing in the AFCON, but the chances are very slim. The 26-year-old defender is likely to be fit for the second half of the season.

It is a big blow for the right-back since he has been performing well for Morocco and Die Roten this season. After a difficult debut campaign in Bavaria, Mazraoui has been starting regularly in the ongoing campaign. He has managed to chip in with four assists for Bayern across all competitions this season.

In the absence of Mazraoui, Konrad Laimer is expected to play in the right-back position. The Austrian midfielder has done a decent job whenever Tuchel has played him in this position.  Joshua Kimmich is another option for the right-back role.

Along with Mazraoui, Kingsley Coman also suffered a muscle injury during the game against Manchester United. The French winger is set to miss the remaining games of Hinrunde since he has been ruled out for three weeks. Coman should be fit by the time players report for the training after the winter break.

Tuchel will be without Coman and Serge Gnabry for the games against VfB Stuttgart and Wolfsburg. Gnabry has been ruled out for two to three months after suffering a serious injury against Eintracht Frankfurt. Mathys Tel and Thomas Muller will be the options on the flank for Tuchel in the remaining two games of Hinrunde.

Matthijs de Ligt starts training with the squad

Not everything is doom and gloom for Bayern on the injury front. Matthijs de Ligt took part in first-team training on Thursday for the first time since suffering a knee injury against Saarbrucken in DFB Pokal. The Dutch defender is hopeful about playing in the final game of Hinrunde against Wolfsburg, but Bayern will be in no rush to bring him back since he has just recovered from a serious injury.