Pavlovic remains sidelined for Bayern

Aleksandar Pavlovic will be out for the third game in a row when Bayern host Bochum.

Bayern Munich will once again be without Aleksandar Pavlovic when they face VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The central midfielder has missed Bayern’s last two games through illness and remains on the sidelines.

“‘Aleks’ Pavlovic isn’t back,” confirmed Bayern coach Vincent Kompany at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Pavlovic is joined on the sidelines by Manuel Neuer, who is out with a calf injury and will be replaced by Jonas Urbig.

With a crucial Champions League last-16 return leg against Bayer Leverkusen coming up on Tuesday, Kompany could make a number of changes to his starting eleven.

“We’ve got this situation in the calendar like with Leverkusen and us, or Celtic in the last round. You’ve either got two games in six or eight days. And then there’s also a third game in the league in between. This is the second time we’ve got that six-day schedule. Some teams play in a six-game rhythm, some in eight,” said the Bayern coach. 

“We want to be fresh for every game. It’s not a choice, but a necessity to use throughout the day. It’s about rotation and freshness. A question of mentality is then how you prepare for it, so there are no changes now with Bochum in mind. 

“We are where we are in the league because we approach all games in the same way and don’t differentiate between Dortmund and Bochum. But we can’t change the calendar and we’re not annoyed about it. We accept it for what it is.”