Neuer and Gnabry ruled out for Bayern’s clash with Heidenheim

Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer and forward Serge Gnabry will miss Saturday’s Bundesliga match against Heidenheim, head coach Vincent Kompany confirmed on Friday.

“Serge won’t be there, Manu won’t be there,” Kompany told reporters. He explained that Neuer, 38, is sidelined due to rib pain after missing Friday’s training session. Kompany did not specify a timeline for Neuer’s return.

Neuer and Gnabry join a growing injury list for Bayern, which also includes Harry Kane, Joao Palhinha, Josip Stanisic, and Hiroki Ito.

Neuer’s absence follows his red card in Tuesday’s German Cup defeat to Bayer Leverkusen — the first of his 866-game career — after a collision with Jeremie Frimpong. Israel international Daniel Peretz replaced Neuer in the 17th minute, marking his Bayern debut. Kompany confirmed that Peretz will start against Heidenheim, with Sven Ulreich still unavailable due to personal leave.

On a positive note, Kompany shared optimism about Kane’s recovery from a hamstring injury. “The way it’s going now, it looks like he could play one or two games in the calendar year, if everything goes well,” Kompany said.

Bayern remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga and lead the table by four points ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt.

(Source: AFP)