Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel can only scratch his head at this point.
The manager will have to use a makeshift lineup against FC Augsburg due to the limited options he will have available due to international duty and a slew of injuries.
“Joshua Kimmich can’t play tomorrow. His shoulder has to be immobilized first and then we’ll see from week to week. It’s very difficult to predict how long he will be out for,” said Tuchel (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We’re missing midfielders. Josh won’t play, Konny won’t play. It means we probably can’t drop Leon Goretzka back. In all likelihood it will be Leon and Aleksandar Pavlović in midfield, with Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier in central defense.
“Upa and Konny will be out for weeks. Konny played every game for us so far, so of course that weighs heavily. We have to try to compensate for it. The plan is in place, we feel well prepared. But of course there are a lot of injuries from last game.”
If you are looking for a silver lining from all of that injury talk, it is that Tuchel later indicated that Kimmich’s shoulder injury would not require surgery.
As for the ailing defense, Tuchel is confident that Dier will step in and do a good job.
“He’s integrated well, is experienced. Obviously he’s lacking training sessions and playing time with the team. Now we’ve had a crash course, which is sometimes the best. He’s very aware, very clear in everything he does. I have great confidence that he’ll play well again tomorrow,” Tuchel remarked.
In the end, it does not matter who plays to Tuchel, he just knows that the team needs a win.
“We want to win the game and we are not concerned with what happened before. It’s all about tomorrow and we want to deliver,” Tuchel said.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s big match against FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga? Check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show on Spotify or below: