FC Bayern will still have to do without Jamal Musiala for the Bundesliga opener. But a comeback is on the horizon.
FC Bayern begins its preparations for the Bundesliga opener on Friday evening against VfB Stuttgart. Following their Super Cup victory (2-1 at BVB), the Munich team is heading into the new season with confidence, a season that, ideally, won’t end until early June with the Champions League final in Madrid.
Jamal Musiala is also expected to play a crucial role along the way, but for now, the 23-year-old is being brought back gradually following his two collapses in the friendlies against Leipzig (3–1) and Heidenheim (4–2).
Musiala, who publicly disclosed exactly one week ago that his blackouts were due to a neurological dysfunction, is expected to return to team training later this week but will not yet be included in the squad on Friday. For Bayern’s No. 10, the focus—in close consultation with the medical staff and coach Vincent Kompany—is on adjusting and properly calibrating his medication.
Saibari Continues to Increase His Workload – Karl’s Return Is on the Horizon
The foot, from which the plate was removed after the World Cup, is no longer causing any problems. On the contrary, in fact—as early as Friday before the Super Cup, Kompany had raved: “I know he’s made huge progress this summer. Look at the minutes he’s played. He did things that weren’t just on the same level as our best players, but a step above. We haven’t seen Jamal like that since his injury against Paris.”
Musiala will get his chance; there’s no pressure yet, especially at the start of the season. Kompany could start with Nathaniel Brown—who’s actually a left back—at the ten position, as he did in Dortmund, depending on how close new signing Ismael Saibari gets to full fitness during this week of training.
The high-profile signing from Eindhoven suffered a torn muscle fiber during Morocco’s World Cup round of 16 match against Canada (3–0), sat out Bayern’s Asian tour, and received playing time of first 20 and then 25 minutes in the friendlies, though he only played about ten in the Super Cup. If he isn’t quite ready yet, Brown is likely to get another chance in attacking midfield, especially since the former Frankfurt player has scored in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lennart Karl is set to return to the squad for the league opener after missing the World Cup. For Serge Gnabry, who was also forced to watch from the sidelines this summer, the Stuttgart game is still coming too soon.