Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel said he was "very sad" after losing a key player to injury ahead of Wednesday's clash against Arsenal
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said he was "very sad" after watching one of his players limp off in Saturday's 2-0 win at home to FC Koln – just days before the Bavarians' crunch Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal.
Bayern were below their best on Saturday, but beat Koln thanks to second-half goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Thomas Muller, the latter in added time.
With the Bundesliga all but lost due to Bayer Leverkusen's huge lead, Tuchel made changes to his side ahead of Wednesday's match against Arsenal, but suffered a blow as one of his talented stars was forced off with an injury.
Harry Kane encourages his team-mates during Bayern Munich's 2-0 win over FC Koln in the Bundesliga in April 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Kingsley Coman went down with a suspected muscle injury early in the second half and had to be replaced by Jamal Musiala after 50 minutes at the Allianz Arena.
The 27-year-old, who scored the winning goal for Bayern against Tuchel's PSG side in the 2020 Champions League final, looks set to be sidelined for the rest of the season.
Speaking after the game, Tuchel told Sky: "The big downside to the whole game is the injury to Kingsley Coman. It makes me very sad because I know how hard he worked and how important he is for us.
"First Serge Gnabry is out, now he and Leroy Sane are doubts [for Wednesday]."
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Arsenal and Bayern drew 2-2 in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium in London on Tuesday and the tie will be resolved as the two teams meet again in Munich on Wednesday night.
With the Bundesliga out of reach and Bayern out of the German Cup, the Champions League is the Bavarians' only remaining chance for silverware in 2023/24.
Ben Hayward is the Weekend Editor of FourFourTwo. A European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
