Berlin (AFP)
The defense of Bayern Munich, the defending champion of the German Football League, suffered a new setback, with the announcement of the absence of Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt “for the current period” due to a knee injury. The Bavarian team did not specify the duration of the young international player’s absence, and Bayern will miss him in the upcoming matches.
Bayern will face its rival, Borussia Dortmund, next Saturday in an awaited match, and De Ligt (24 years old) injured his right knee during the match that Bayern lost to third-tier Saarbrücken in the German Cup on Wednesday evening.
De Ligt, who was returning from a similar injury, caught his knee in the 19th minute, was taken off and was later substituted midway through the first half.
Midfielder Joshua Kimmich returned to the centre-back position, as Bayern has only one player ready for the position, which is South Korean Kim Min-jae, and Frenchman Dayo Upamecano missed the last four matches due to a muscle injury in his thigh, and he has recently returned to training.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed after the match that the injury occurred in the same knee as De Ligt, “and it is very painful.”
For the third time in four years, Bayern was eliminated from the second round in the cup competition.
The twenty-time league champions are second in the Bundesliga, two points behind Bayer Leverkusen, and have not lost a confrontation with Dortmund since 2018.
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