Kompany reveals Kimmich will “probably” miss Stuttgart trip

FC Bayern coach Vincent Kompany has confirmed that Joshua Kimmich is unlikely to be included in the squad to face Stuttgart on Friday.

Joshua Kimmich is unlikely to be involved when Bayern Munich face VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga away from home on Friday.

The central midfielder was forced off in last Sunday’s 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt due to tendonitis and will “probably” not be able to play against Stuttgart, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany revealed at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

“He probably won’t be travelling with us. The game is probably too early for him,” said Kompany.

Aleksandar Pavlovic, on the other hand, is fit to play despite missing training on Wednesday, Kompany underlined.

Although Kimmich is a key player for Bayern, Kompany has faith in his squad to compensate for his absence.

“We’ll solve it with our squad, we’ve done that for every position so far. Joshua isn’t the first player to be out, we’ve also had that with Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala,” he said.

“We’ve always shown a good reaction when we’ve had a player out injured and we also expect the same tomorrow.”

“We haven’t taken a single step less in our preparation”

The Bayern coach insisted that, despite a crucial Champions League last-16 clash with Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, he and his team are fully focused on Stuttgart.

“Playing away against the runners-up from the previous season is never easy. We’ve focused solely on that, we haven’t taken a single step less in our preparation because the game is very important for us,” said Kompany.

“Stuttgart are a team who are dangerous in every phase. They put a lot of pressure on you and are also dangerous on the counter-attack. 

“They work very hard, every player gets back into the organisation. They’re strong in terms of running and tackling. I have a lot of respect for them. Nevertheless, we’re aiming to win; the task provides extra motivation.”