Vincent Kompany's place on the Bayern Munich bench for the Champions League match against Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on 21 October is still open. The Bayern coach has a virus that has affected his legs and has been told to rest. He missed the final training session and the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, 20 October, so his assistant Aaron Danks spoke for the club. Kompany had already been limited on Saturday, 17 October, when Bayern beat RB Leipzig 6-1 in the Bundesliga, sitting on the bench for the whole game while Max Eberl addressed the media instead. Eberl had put it bluntly after that match.
“If the body does not allow it, he must accept it too.”
Danks said the club is taking things day by day and that he cannot say whether Kompany will be back tomorrow or in two or three days. He called it just a virus and said the doctors know more than he does. Danks also said the two men are in constant contact, that they discussed Tuesday's training, and that Kompany will play a role in the match whether or not he is in the stadium. Danks has stood in before, leading the team in the first leg of last season's Champions League semi-final at Paris Saint-Germain, which Bayern lost 5-4 on the night while Kompany was suspended. On the challenge of keeping Kompany resting, Danks said:
“Getting Vince to rest is a challenge.”
Manuel Neuer trained with the goalkeepers again after foot problems and is expected to return to goal against the English champions. He had missed the 3-3 draw at Viking Stavanger and the Leipzig game after an error in the 2-2 draw with Augsburg, with Jonas Urbig deputising in both matches. At 40, Neuer could make his 163rd Champions League appearance, as many as Thomas Muller and Lionel Messi. Joshua Kimmich missed training for private reasons but is expected to play. Michael Olise will watch the match from the stands after a yellow-red card at Stavanger, and Serge Gnabry is expected to start in his place, with Lennart Karl a possible option.
Bayern have four points after two league-phase matchdays, while Arsenal have yet to drop a point. Kompany wants a second league-phase win. Tagesspiegel recalls that Bayern lost two of their 14 Champions League matches in the league phase last season, one of them against Arsenal, which includes Kai Havertz. Eberl said the club wants to turn the memories of the 1-3 defeat in London into energy. He also said that playing at home against one of Europe's best teams can be the advantage a side needs. RB Leipzig visit Real Madrid the same evening at 21:00, and the Bayern kick-off is also at 21:00 on 21 October.
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Vincent Kompany's place on the Bayern bench for the Arsenal match on 21 October is uncertain, as a virus affecting his legs has kept him from training. Assistant Aaron Danks is set to lead the side at the Allianz Arena.
AI text based on reports by 7sur7, Telegraaf, The Guardian and other publishers. Published .