Mio Backhaus ruled out of Werder’s game against Bayern

Werder Bremen will be without Mio Backhaus when they face FC Bayern on Friday.

Mio Backhaus has been ruled out of Werder Bremen’s away game against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Friday evening.

Werder coach Horst Steffen confirmed on Thursday that the goalkeeper has picked up a shoulder injury in training and will not make the journey to Munich.

“There was a collision in training in which he suffered a shoulder injury,” Steffen explained at his pre-match press conference. 

“The pain prevents him from traveling. It’s possible the ligaments were affected, but we need a precise diagnosis before we can say when he’ll be back.”

In Backhaus’ absence, Karl Hein will make his Bundesliga debut at the Allianz Arena.

“He has the chance to show what he can do and should play as he does in training, which gives me a lot of confidence,” Steffen said. 

“Karl is a very dedicated player who works hard and consistently proves himself – though that applies to all of our goalkeepers.”

On the bright side for Werder, Samuel Mbangula returns to the squad after recovering from the thigh injury that kept him out of last week’s 0-3 defeat to Freiburg.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Weiser (cruciate ligament tear), Maximilian Wöber (muscle injury), Olivier Deman (fractured ankle) and Niklas Stark (hip problems) remain unavailable.