Bayern focusing on Augsburg despite busy schedule: Kompany

Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich are only focusing on Friday’s league game against Augsburg despite a crowded match schedule in the next 11 days, coach Vincent Kompany said on Thursday.

The Bavarians will be without midfielder Joao Palhinha and forward Mathys Tel, who picked up injuries on international duty with Portugal and France respectively, while goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is nursing a ribcage injury and is racing to be fit.

Bayern have a busy schedule coming up after facing Augsburg, with a Champions League game at home to Paris St Germain on Tuesday before the trip to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga in just over a week.

They cap off their 11-day four-match run with the German Cup last-16 clash at home to holders Bayer Leverkusen on Dec. 3.

“We are missing Palhinha and Mathys Tel also got a knock while with the national team,” Kompany told a press conference. “The one fear we have as coach is for players to leave and come back injured.

“We are playing against Augsburg. It is important that it is only about the next game. We want to deliver the performance as we did before the international break,” he said. “It is only about Augsburg and only this step is important for me today.”

Kompany is in his first season in charge but knows expectations are high and the team must remain contenders in all three competitions going into the new year.

“We’re satisfied with the season we’ve played so far in all competitions despite the two defeats in the Champions League,” said Bayern sports director Max Eberl, referring to their 1-0 defeat away to Aston Villa and 4-1 loss at Barcelona.

“It is a new format and we’re still getting to know it,” he added, with Bayern down in 17th place in the playoff spots.

“We have PSG which is a special game, Leverkusen in the Cup and Dortmund in the league. We want to start and win every single game,” Eberl said. “That is our starting point.”

Leverkusen won their first domestic double last term but Bayern, desperate to restore their national dominance, are undefeated in the Bundesliga and have quickly carving out a five-point lead at the top over second-placed RB Leipzig.

The Bavarians have 26 points, with Leverkusen, who host Heidenheim on Saturday, nine behind in fourth. Dortmund welcome Freiburg, having dropped to seventh spot on 16 points, while Leipzig travel to Hoffenheim.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund will have several players back from injury for their Bundesliga game against visitors Freiburg on Saturday, with coach Nuri Sahin relieved to have more options again.

The Ruhr valley club have had as many as 10 players injured at some stage, dropping to seventh place, 10 points off leaders Bayern.

But they will now have five players back, with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel as well as Gio Reyna, Julien Duranville, Waldemar Anton and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.

“After a long time there is more good news than bad news regarding injuries,” Sahin told a press conference on Thursday.

“I don’t expect Gio and Duranville, for example, to be at 100% but the physios have done a great job. So if they are in the squad that means they can play. I’m just happy to be able to take decisions,” he said. “We can now take some nice decisions.”

Until the international break last week, Dortmund, who travel to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League next week, struggled with injuries and failed to win any of their away matches in the league, losing touch with the leading teams.

Dortmund, who have 16 points from 10 games, will be without injured defender Niklas Suele and suspended captain Emre Can.

“I had said we were running on fumes before the international break because we had to play with the same team,” Sahin said. “I think we played with an almost identical lineup in five consecutive games.

“I hope that in the coming weeks we will be able to rotate more,” he said.

Agencies