Kane and Coman in, Neuer out for Bayern against Dortmund،
Bayern Munich have received a timely boost with the return of forwards Harry Kane and Kingsley Coman for their Bundesliga clash against rivals Borussia Dortmund, manager Thomas Tuchel has said.
England captain Kane missed his country's friendlies against Brazil and Belgium after injuring his ankle in Bayern's 5-2 win at Darmstadt, while Frenchman Coman has been sidelined for two months due to a ligament tear in the left knee.
– Stream LIVE: Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund, Saturday 1:30 p.m. ET ESPN+
However, Bayern captain and first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has been ruled out. The classic after picking up a left adductor muscle strain while training with the German national team last week.
Defending champions Bayern, 10 points behind Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen, will host fourth-placed Dortmund on Saturday before traveling to Heidenheim on April 6. They will travel to Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on April 9.
“Harry trained fully with the team yesterday, stepped up every day. Everything is fine, he will play,” Tuchel told a press conference on Friday.
“King [Coman] He's a big factor for us and he'll be back in the team for the day. Serge Gnabry is also back. Both are extremely important to us. Our advance options are expanding and the competition for places will hopefully improve the quality.
“Neuer is out. Aleks Pavlovic is unfortunately not available. Raphaël Guerreiro is not back yet. And Sacha Boey was injured during the week. These four are out.”
Tuchel hoped Neuer would return against Heidenheim.
“It has nothing to do with the risk. The pain is just too much. We hope that one week will be enough and he will be in goal against Heidenheim,” said the German.
Tuchel, who managed Dortmund from 2015 to 2017, said he expects a tough competition between Bayern and his former team.
“It's an emotional match, an important match in the Bundesliga, with a great rivalry and a great history,” he said.
I'm waiting for an opponent who wants to win. Dortmund are very good in attack, very flexible up front. They want to have the ball. It will be an open match.
“There is good humor and atmosphere. We have been very good in attack in recent matches. We want to win.”
Dortmund have suffered a major blow with Dutch striker Donyell Malen out of the clash after injuring his thigh during international duty, the club said. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel will also miss the trip to Munich due to illness.
Sebastien Haller is fit after recovering from an ankle injury, Dortmund added.