De Ligt out 4-6 weeks with medial ligament damage…Munich CBs wiped out
Kim Min-jae is out for good. Matthijs de Ligt will be out for more than a month.
Bayern Munich fell 1-2 to Saarbrücken (3rd Division) in the DFB Pokal Cup Second Round (Round of 32) at the Ludwigsparkstadion in Saarbrücken, Germany, at 4:45 a.m. ET today.
This is the second consecutive season that Munich has made an early exit from the Pokal.
The Bavarians went with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Up front, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was in charge.
The second line consisted of Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, and Mathis Thiel.
The midfield consisted of Frans Kraczyk and Joshua Kimmich.
The back four was Alfonso Davies, Matthijs de Licht, Minjae Kim, and Buna Saar.
Manuel Neuer was in goal.
Bad luck struck for Munich early on. In the 18th minute, De Ligt tackled Fabio Di Michele Sanchez’s cross.
The two players tangled, and Sanchez fell into De Ligt’s lap.
De Ligt immediately signaled for a substitution, clutching his right knee in pain.
Konrad Reimer was brought on, and De Ligt limped off the field.
“De Ligt suffered an MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury and damage to the capsule of his right knee,” said European soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano.
De Ligt will be out of action for four to six weeks, according to Bild.”
Munich had only three options at center back in the squad this season.
The Bavarians bolstered their defense this summer with the signing of Kim Min-jae, but by selling all of their rotation options, they were effectively left with only three center backs.
With big clubs playing 50 or 60 games a season, the role of the rotation is just as important as that of a starter.
This is something Munich overlooked.
In the summer transfer window, Munich abruptly sent Josip Stanisic to Leverkusen on loan. With Benjamin Pavard also joining Inter Milan, the center back depth was suddenly thin.
This was compounded by the fact that two of the main center backs went down with injuries.
On September 9, Upamecano was forced off in the 32nd minute of the match against Freiburg with an injury.
The injury was so severe that he was withdrawn from the French national team during the October A-match.
“Upamecano is suspected to have torn a muscle fiber, which means he will be out for about three to four weeks,” explained the German Bild.
“Munich have confirmed through scans that Upamecano has a muscle injury in his left hamstring and he is expected to be out for around six weeks,” said Nathan Gissing of Italy’s Di Marzio. 안전토토사이트
This will only add to the pressure on Kim’s fitness.
Kim has already started 17 matches in all competitions this season, with the exception of a substitute appearance in the DFL-Super Cup, which was his official debut.
He was rested in the first round of the DFB Pokal, but started all four matches in the A-Match in September and October.
He travels a lot more than other players, so he’s bound to get tired.
But there is no time to rest.
With Upamecano and De Ligt both out injured, the Bavarians are left with only Kim Min-jae as their first-choice center back.
The problem is the upcoming weekend schedule.
Munich will face Borussia Dortmund in the 10th round of the 2023-24 German Bundesliga on May 5 at 2:30 p.m. at the Zignale Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany.
