Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany will miss Tuesday's training session and pre-match press conference due to a viral infection, but assistant coach Aaron Danks has confirmed the Belgian will still play his role in Wednesday's Champions League clash against Arsenal.
Bayern face Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, looking to bounce back in this season's league phase after being held to a 3-3 draw by Viking on matchday two last week. However, preparations have been disrupted by Kompany's illness.
Kompany's Absence Confirmed
A Bayern Munich statement read: "Vincent Kompany is taking it easy due to a viral infection and will therefore miss today's training session and press conference."
In Kompany's place, Danks took charge of the pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon and provided an update on the manager's condition, as well as his chances of being in the home dugout.
"So Vincent has had a virus and it has been really important that he rests and getting Vincent to rest is a difficult challenge but he is at home resting," Danks revealed.
Danks Provides Update on Kompany's Involvement
"We take it day-by-day so I'm still unsure of his involvement tomorrow but we are in constant communication, we discussed training today, we discussed what type of work we wanted to cover off, the meetings and stuff like that.
"I'm in constant dialogue with him, he will play his role, he will play his part in the game. Whether that's at the Allianz or not at the Allianz, we have to wait and see at this moment."
Team News Ahead of Arsenal Clash
Bayern will be boosted by the return of captain Manuel Neuer against Arsenal after he missed the 6-1 win over RB Leipzig at the weekend with an ongoing foot problem. The experienced goalkeeper trained on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to replace Jonas Urbig in goal.
Joshua Kimmich, a scorer in the 2023-24 quarter-final win over Arsenal, was not present in the session either, but reports in Germany claim this was due to private reasons and he should be available to start in midfield.
Jamal Musiala, however, was not spotted in training on Tuesday and is set to be unavailable for selection against the Gunners. The attacking midfielder has not featured since withdrawing from international duty after sustaining a torn muscle fiber in his right thigh while warming up for Germany's Nations League clash against the Netherlands last month.
