FC Bayern will play an away game against VfL Osnabrück in the DFB Cup on Wednesday evening. The second-division team is hoping for an upset, while Bayern aims to make short work of them if possible. Coach Vincent Kompany has now announced who will be in goal against Osnabrück.
Today, Tuesday, the record champions held a press conference ahead of the match against the second-division team . It had already been reported that Manuel Neuer would be given a rest— partly because an away game at FC Schalke 04 is coming up this weekend, marking a return for him.
Since this might be his last return to Gelsenkirchen, he doesn’t want to take any risks. And Coach Kompany’s plans align perfectly with that.
Kompany confirms: Urbig will play in the Cup
The Belgian explained: “Urbig will be in goal tomorrow. As for the entire season, we’ll make the same statement as we did last season. We have confidence in Urbig; he’s played in many important games. Even the Cup final—that was a milestone for him.”
Kompany also spoke about future plans for the goalkeeper: “He’s already shown that he can help us at the very highest level. He’ll continue to get playing time. However, the situation is that Manuel Neuer is the number one. But it’s clear that we’ll continue to support Urbig’s development by giving him playing time, just as we did last season.”
That means there will be games from time to time where Urbig is entrusted with the responsibility—across all competitions. However, Kompany won’t designate a traditional “cup goalkeeper.” “No, no, we’ll decide that when the time comes. We don’t do things like that—saying a goalkeeper will play an entire competition.”
If Neuer is fit and stays fit, there’s a strong case to be made that he’ll also get to play in some of FC Bayern’s most important matches.
