The injury crisis at Bayern Munich is worsening as defender Matthijs de Ligt has suffered a knee injury during the German National Cup.
The shocking 1-2 defeat to Saarbrucken, a third-tier team, not only saw Bayern eliminated from the prestigious domestic cup competition but also led to them losing defender De Ligt to a knee injury. The Dutch player had to leave the pitch in the 25th minute, just 9 minutes after Thomas Muller had put Bayern ahead.
Manager Thomas Tuchel appeared deeply concerned as De Ligt left the field in significant pain. The club’s injury list included Serge Gnabry, Noussair Mazraoui, Raphael Guerreiro, Dayot Upamecano, and Leon Goretzka. With De Ligt added to that list, Tuchel faces the challenge of patching the Bayern lineup in the coming days.
Currently, the severity of De Ligt’s injury remains unclear, and it is uncertain how long he will be sidelined. He had only recently returned to action in mid-October after a three-week knee injury sustained in a match against Bochum.
It is important to note that this weekend, Bayern will have to travel to the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund for the Der Klassiker match. If they defeat, Bavaria’s Reds could potentially drop to fifth place in the Bundesliga standings, facing the risk of a new crisis.
Throughout the season, Bayern Munich has shown strength in the UEFA Champions League, winning all three of their group-stage matches (alongside Manchester United, Copenhagen, and Galatasaray). However, in domestic competitions, Bayern under Tuchel has been inconsistent. They started the season with a shocking 0-3 defeat to Leipzig in the DFL Supercup.
In the Bundesliga, Bayern has stumbled twice with draws against Leverkusen and Leipzig, both ending 2-2, and they haven’t secured the top spot in the league. After defeating Saarbrucken, they were also eliminated from the German National Cup.
Therefore, more than ever, Bayern needs a positive result against Dortmund this weekend to boost their morale and face the injury crisis causing Tuchel to call out for divine intervention.
