FC Bayern will be without Harry Kane for tonight’s Bundesliga home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach (20:30, live on Sky). The top English striker has been ruled out at short notice – meaning Munich will be without by far their most prolific scorer
As coach Vincent Kompany confirmed at the matchday press conference, Kane has suffered a blow to his calf. The 32-year-old will therefore not be in the squad for the clash with the colts
For the German record champions, the absence is a noticeable setback. Kane is having an outstanding season and is one of the decisive factors in Bayern’s attacking play. The Englishman has already scored an impressive 30 goals after 24 games in the current Bundesliga season
It is clear that a striker like Kane cannot simply be replaced one-to-one at FC Bayern, but coach Vincent Kompany has several alternatives at his disposal to restructure the attack
Nicolas Jackson, a Senegalese international who was originally signed for precisely such situations but has not been able to establish himself on a permanent basis so far this season, is a classic centre-forward option
Another option would be Serge Gnabry, the German international has already helped out as a central attacker on several occasions in the past and has qualities, particularly in combination play, that could benefit Bayern’s attacking play
However, the Belgian deliberately left open at the press conference which solution Kompany would ultimately choose
Bayern’s record without Kane
However, a look at the figures shows just how important Kane is for FC Bayern. Since his move to Munich in the summer of 2023, the Englishman has only missed nine competitive matches so far – once due to a yellow card suspension, once after tearing a muscle fibre and once due to back problems
Bayern’s record without their goalscorer has been surprisingly mixed, with just four wins in those nine games, compared to four defeats and one draw. On average, the German champions have scored just 1.44 points per game without Kane
This statistic in particular underlines the influence Kane has on Munich’s game. His goals, his presence in the penalty area and his role in the combination play are difficult for the record champions to compensate for
Bayern were knocked out of the DFB Cup twice without Kane: once in the round of 16 in December 2024 (in a 1-0 defeat to Leverkusen) and a year earlier in the second round, when he sat on the bench for 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss at Saarbrücken. In the league, they also lost 4-2 at Hoffenheim and 2-1 at Mainz. The German champions drew 3-3 against Leipzig while Kane was suspended. The victories without Kane: Wolfsburg (2-0), Heidenheim (4-2), Donetsk (5-1 in the Champions League) and Preußen Münster (4-0 in the DFB Cup)
At the same time, the absence of Kane will allow other attacking players to prove themselves and players like Jackson or Gnabry could use the opportunity to make a strong case for more game time
Whether FC Bayern will be able to improve their rather sobering record without their superstar will become clear on Friday evening in the Allianz Arena. In any case, Munich will be looking to take the next step towards the championship against Borussia Mönchengladbach – even without their top scorer.