Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany has revealed that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will miss the away game against the Norwegian Viking in the Champions League tonight. The Bavarians started their campaign in the tournament of the rich this season with a convincing 5-0 victory over the other Norwegian team in the competition - Bodo/Glimt.
The veteran's absence comes just three days after the 40-year-old goalkeeper made two blunders in a 2-2 draw against Augsburg in the Bundesliga. Kompany, however, insisted that Neuer's absence was a precautionary measure due to a slight foot problem, with Jonas Urbig taking his place for his third start of the season.
“Manuel can't train today (editor's note - yesterday). He felt something in his foot. So that quickly answers the question of who will be in goal. We found out after the Augsburg game that he felt discomfort. "You never know how long it will take, but given that he hasn't been able to train for the last two days, there's no point in taking unnecessary risks."
I don't want to call it an injury, but when you feel something and it doesn't get better... At some point you realise something has to be done and we will do it without taking any risks if he doesn't feel 100% ready," said Vincent Kompany.
The 23-year-old Urbig joined Bayern from Cologne last year and has been tipped as a possible successor to Neuer after recently making his debut for the German national team in the 2-0 win over Serbia.
“We started working with Jonas when he arrived from Cologne. We are moving according to plan. He is getting the minutes we wanted to give him for his development. And every minute is useful for his growth“, Kompany added.
Vincent Kompany is not worried about the prospect of playing on an artificial pitch in Stavanger. “As a coach, I approach training in the usual way. The interesting thing is that as a footballer I was supposed to play one of my last games on artificial turf, but then COVID came and we went into lockdown for three or four months. After that I ended my career, so the whole time as a player I never stepped on an artificial pitch.
It is completely understandable that the topic is raised, but for us it is nothing unusual. If I were the opponent, I would be happy that everyone only talks about the artificial turf. But we will not do them that service. One of the reasons we flew here was precisely the opportunity to play on this pitch beforehand. "Tomorrow, however, this will not be a problem," assured the coach of the German giants, who still cannot rely on Jamal Musiala due to a thigh injury.