Thomas Tuchel unsure over key defender’s fitness ahead of Real Madrid clash

Originally posted on Football Espana | By Feargal Brennan | Last updated 5/5/24

Bayern Munich will once again be forced to wait on late injury news ahead of facing Real Madrid.

Th Bundesliga giants face a huge UEFA Champions League trip to the Spanish capital on May 8 in their semi final second leg.

A 2-2 draw in Bavaria last week has the contest tied ahead of the rematch but Thomas Tuchel is battling against injuries.

The German boss was forced to reshuffle against Los Blancos and he will be without Portugal international Raphael Guerriero for the second leg.

Guerriero’s absence is a blow for Tuchel’s plans, due to his positional flexibility, but Dutch centre back Matthijs de Ligt is laso struggling to return.

The former Ajax defender missed the first leg and Tuchel admitted he is unsure if there will be enough recovery time before traveling to Madrid.

“He (De Ligt) trained individually today in Munich and will join team training tomorrow. Then we’ll see if it’s enough for Wednesday”, he stated following the 2-1 weekend loss at VfB Stuttgart.

If de Ligt does not make it back in time for the second leg, Tuchel could stick with an unchanged central defence pairing, with Eric Dier alongside Kim Min-jae.

The post Thomas Tuchel unsure over key defender’s fitness ahead of Real Madrid clash appeared first on Football España.

This article first appeared on Football Espana and was syndicated with permission.

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