Stanisic on Sunday, Laimer on Wednesday. FC Bayern Munich’s defense has to cope with the next injury to the full-back position.
It was like déjà vu. At the Bundesliga duel with 1. FC Köln on Wednesday Full-back Konrad Laimer was on the ground in stoppage time and was unable to continue playing. Because coach Vincent Kompany’s substitution contingent had already been used up, FC Bayern secured a secure victory with nine outfield players throughout the game time. This situation had already happened three days earlier, in the game against VfL Wolfsburg. Only that the full-back was called Josip Stanisic.
Vincent Kompany can only hope
On Thursday the bad news came: a torn muscle fiber in the left calf. It is not yet known how long Laimer will be out. What has been clear since Monday, however, is that Stanisic won’t be able to play for a long time either. The German-Croat suffered a capsular ligament injury to his right ankle. He will be missing from the record champions until at least the beginning of February.
“Hopefully the other players will come back,” coach Vincent Kompany said due to a lack of options. “We still have a few who need to help us soon.”
Will Kimmich be back soon?
Joshua Kimmich is one of these players. He has had to deal with ankle problems since the international break in November. These should be fully recovered before Kimmich can expose himself to stress again. On Tuesday in the press round before the Bundesliga duel with Cologne, Kompany said that the national player had not yet returned to team training. A few hours later he is said to have appeared at the final training session in Cologne, as “Bild” reported. However, he was not in the squad on Wednesday evening.
The coach from Belgium may be able to rely on regular Kimmich again on Saturday against Leipzig. It would be important, especially because the failures of Stanisic and Laimer are not or could remain the only ones.
Does Kompany have to worry about Ito again?
There is still a big question mark behind the use of right-back Sacha Boey. The Frenchman has been waiting for his next playing minutes since the beginning of December. He suffers from a persistent gastrointestinal illness and is said to have lost weight. Now he is back in individual development training.
Another problem child in Munich’s defense is Hiroki Ito. The Japanese was back in the starting line-up for Bayern against Cologne on Wednesday, but had to leave the field in the 88th minute after a break for treatment. Since returning from breaking his metatarsal in November last year, he has yet to play through a game.
The alternatives: Guerreiro and Bishop
After all, there are two defensive players that Kompany can currently rely on: Tom Bischof and Raphael Guerreiro. The latter came on for Ito against Cologne in the 88th minute. He also came on as a substitute against Wolfsburg on Sunday, but on the offensive. There he scored the goal to make it 5-1. Compared to his teammates, however, he lacks a bit of speed.
The young Tom Bischof could be an important support for Kompany in the current phase as he can be used flexibly. As a youth he mainly played in central midfield, but at FC Bayern he is increasingly taking on defensive roles. Before the turn of the year he was primarily used in the left-back position.
Record team despite Injury misery
Despite the injury problems in FC Bayern’s defense, everything is good on paper. Even more than good. Because the offensive is currently shining like no other. With the win against Cologne, the Munich team secured a record: with 47 points, 66 goals and only 13 goals conceded, Bayern completed the best first series in Bundesliga history. Bayern coach Kompany even replaced the previous record holder Pep Guardiola.
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Source: BR24Sport on the radio January 15, 2026 – 4:54 p.m
