Bayern coach Vincent Kompany spoke about the tense personnel situation at the press conference ahead of the 2026 competitive match against VfL Wolfsburg and also sent out a clear signal regarding the goalkeeping issue.
The record champions will be without several key players for the home game against Lower Saxony. „Sacha Boey, Phonzy Davies, Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala will not be available tomorrow. But Manu [Neuer] is back,“ explained Kompany. It is therefore certain that Manuel Neuer will return in goal after recovering from a muscle injury. „Yes, if everything goes well in training today,“ said Kompany on the question of whether the captain will play from the start.
However, hopes of a lightning comeback for Jamal Musiala were dashed: „Not for this game yet. We’re close, but we don’t want to take this last step too quickly. This week has been good for him, he’s done almost everything in training. But this game is still too early.“ The 22-year-old suffered a serious injury to his fibula and ankle in the summer of 2025 during the FIFA Club World Cup after a collision with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The fracture and dislocation meant he was out for months. He has recently returned to team training.
Kompany gives the all-clear for Kimmich
Joshua Kimmich will also be missing against Wolfsburg. The international is still struggling with ankle problems that have kept him out of action for several days. Kompany said: „Jo Kimmich always wants to push himself. He doesn’t want to miss more games than necessary. When Jo comes back, I hope the problem is finally solved and he can play his soccer again. At the moment, everything is going in the right direction.“
In addition to Kimmich and Musiala, left-back Alphonso Davies and new winter signing Sacha Boey are also still absent due to illness. However, Boey is also expected to leave the club in the winter, which could be the reason for his absence.